By a Vote of six to one, the Bedford Central School Board joined 13 other Municipalities and school districts in Westchester and Rockland counties calling for a temporary shutdown of the Indian Point nuclear power plant.

The vote came after some discussion at the school board's regular meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 12, at Fox Lane Middle School, with board member Joseph Whelan casting the only vote in opposition.

Mr. Whelan said that while he agreed with an expression of concern, about the threat posed by an accident or terrorist attack, lie thought the recommendation to shut clown the plant was outside his area of expertise.

"I've heard sonic hysterical reaction to the threat of danger and I've heard other people say that it couldn't he true," Mr. Whelan said.

"Many people have a concern about nuclear energy I think that we should express our concern without pretending to have the knowledge that only a full shutdown of the reactor is satisfactory I'm very uncomfortable about that," he said.

Board member Mel Comberiati said that lie was less concerned about nuclear energy than he was about the "foolish" evacuation plan and the outcome of America's war against terrorism,

Board member Mark Slivka agreed, calling the County's emergency response plan "deeply flawed." lie said that the board's call for a shutdown was only temporary until the county could prove that its emergency response plan would save the people in the area.

"if they cannot come up with an adequate safety plan, they would have to shut down the plant anyway," he said. "It's been closed down before and the county was not short of power."

Mr. Whelan countered that he preferred the resolution that the Croton school district had passed, which only questioned the evacuation plan without calling for a shutdown. This, he said, was not " over- reaching."

"Err on side of caution"

Board member Elin Sullivan responded that she did not think that the Croton resolution went far enough. She thought that the plan t should be shut down while the evacuation plan was reevaluated.

"I think that we should err on the side of caution," said board member Brad Sacks, and Paula Kumar agreed. She thought that the plant should have been closed down for safety reasons even before the Sept. I I terrorist attacks.

Neither Ms. Kumar nor school board president Dot Fallon were reassured by the fact that plant personnel failed a recent test of emergency procedures conducted by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

The resolution passed by the board states that only a full shutdown of the plant's reactors would provide "the financial and political incentives necessary" to compel Entergy, the operator of the plant, and the NRC "to conduct a thorough and credible review and institute the necessary security and safety measures to protect the public and justify the plant's reopening.

The resolution was proposed by the Riverkeeper environmental group and brought to the attention of the board by Ms. Sullivan. It is being supported by a variety of elected officials, municipalities, school districts, and environmental organizations.

A hearing on the county's emergency response and evacuation plan was to be held by the County Legislature's Health and Public Sa ety Committees at the County Center in White Plains yesterday, Thursday, Dec. 13.

Secretary and clerk combined

In other action, the school board voted unanimously to approve the appointment of Carole LaColla to be the new district clerk and secretary to the superintendent. The two positions had previously been separate.

Before the vote was taken, Mr. Whelan said that he was "troubled" and "quite uneasy" about the board's combining the two positions, which he said were "incompatible."

"The clerk reports to the board and the secretary works for the superintendent," he said. He thought that the combining of the two positions diminished the system of checks and balances between the school board and the school administration.

Ms. Fallon responded by saying that the decision to combine the two positions had been "discussed for months" and the she was sorry that those discussions had not allayed Mr. Whelan's discomfort.

Schools Superintendent Bruce Dennis reassured the board about the legality and permissibility of the combined position, saying that many other school districts already had already done so, including Chappaqua, Scarsdale and Mamaroneck.

Ms. LaColla has 11 years of experience with the Haldane Central School District, where she served as district clerk and secretary to the department of special services.

She will be paid a salary of $60,500 as secretary to the superintendent and draw a $7,500 stipend for her performing her responsibilities as district clerk.

Public meetings on bond issue

Dr. Dennis also discussed the administration's plans to inform the public about the school expansion and renovation referendum to he put to a vote on Jan. 23.

public presentations will be given on six evenings in January beginning "it 7-30 p.m., followed by question and answer sessions.

Those dates and places were announced as Thursday, Jan. 3, at Bedford Hills Elementary School; Monday, Jan. 7, at West Patent Elementary School; Tuesday, Jan. 8, at Mount Kisco Elementary School; Thursday, Jan. 10, at Pound Ridge Elementary School; Tuesday, Jan. 15, at Bedford Village Elementary School; and Wednesday, Jan. 16 at Fox Lane High School.

A tour of the school building will be conducted starting at 6:45 p.m. at the three schools at which expansion work is proposed, i.e., Mount Kisco and Pound Ridge elementary schools and Fox Lane High School. Additional morning tours of those schools may also be scheduled.

A pictorial tour will also be provided after Jan. t on the school district's Web site, bedford.k12.nyus. Questions about the bond referendum may also be e-mailed to the district at bond@bcdford.k12.ny.us. The district will endeavor to answer questions on the same day they are received, Dr. Dennis said.