Yeshiva Ketana Satmar school made an initial appearance before the The New Windsor Planning Board on Wednesday, October 26 for their proposed school expansion project.

The Yeshiva Ketana Satmar school today currently uses the former St. Joseph’s School building located on Windsor Highway. In the Spring of 2001, the property was purchased and converted to the new school and students now from the Village of Kiryas Joel are bused in and attend the school. Additional parking on site is for the teachers of the school and the school hours go from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The project, represented by Engineering and Surveying Properties, proposed the overall expansion project to be constructed in two phases beginning with the construction of a two story building consisting of classrooms on both floors. The mikvah, a traditional bathhouse, will be included in the first phase construction. The mikvah is used for cleansing and purification within the Jewish faith.

The second phase will see another building that will be constructed but will not include a second floor, rather an elevated ceiling. The building is intended to be used for worship and other school functions. A new fire lane and drop off access point to the school are also proposed for this project. Restriping of the parking lot and stormwater management will also take place during this project.

The board approved to circulate the proposed site plan for lead agency and declared the project as a Type 1 action under the State Environmental Quality Review Act [SEQR]. As a point of clarification, this site plan will be circulated upon receiving a long-form Environmental Assessment Form [EAF] from the applicant and after an investigation into the National Register of Historic Places is completed as requested by the town engineer. Reports indicated an old historic building, the John Haskell House, was once on the land but was torn down. The applicant will also provide a landscaping plan for the site for the board’s review and approval.