State's OK comes with many conditions, costs
Critics note potential problems due to further findings on school site
BY JESSICA SMITH Staff Writer
Though the Monroe Board of Education is moving closer to bringing a high school to Thompson Park, conditions imposed by the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) are making the project more costly.

In addition, if artifacts or human remains are found during further archaeological investigations or construction monitoring, the project could be halted or possibly redesigned.

"There are a lot of still iffy questions," Board of Education President Kathy Kolupanowich said. "If they find something, then things are back up in the air. My impression is that there is not going to be any structures there, or any burial grounds there."

Acting on the recommendation of the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), the DEP stated it will not release Green Acres restrictions on 3.6 acres on the eastern part of the 35-acre park site. Before deciding whether to release that portion of the site, the DEP is requiring a phasethree archaeological survey to determine whether additional historical artifacts exist there.

The archaeological work associated with the DEP's conditions is projected to cost $825,000, according to Joel Lezotte of Piscataway-based Epic Management. The costs will be incorporated into the Dec. 11 bond referendum, which may be approved by the Board of Education at its Sept. 25 meeting.

"If significant cultural resources are identified as part of any future investigations, we would require the township and the Board of Education to make every effort to redesign the high school project within the confines of the western portion of the site," Amy Cradic, assistant commissioner of Natural and Historic Resources for the DEP wrote in a letter to the township.

Retention ponds and parking spaces are slated to be located on the 3.6-acre portion of the site, and no part of the actual school structure would stand there. The DEP-required 50-foot buffer surrounding the site, however, brings the building into the area in question, according to Assistant Township Attorney Peg Schaffer.

To protect and delineate the 3.6 acres, the DEP is requiring 6-foot fencing to be erected there. Temporary fencing has been put in place there by the township for the time being, Township Business Administrator Wayne Hamilton said. Definitive boundaries for the 3.6 acres have not yet been determined, officials said.

The 3.6-acre portion of the site, identified by state officials as 28-MI-243, is referred to as "the Thompson Park Historic Site" in a letter from Dorothy Guzzo, deputy state historic preservation officer for SHPO.

The letter, dated Sept. 7, stated that the parcel is eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places under criterion D, "for its ability to yield information important in history." It went on to state that the site could become eligible under additional criteria as archaeological work continues there.

Richard Grubb and Associates, the archaeological firm hired by the township to conduct surveys of the 35-acre parcel, found various artifacts on that portion of the site during its phase-one investigation. According to Grubb, the majority of items recovered were of Euro-American origin, dating to the 18th century. The origin of the artifacts is significant because the investigations were required by the DEP due to questions about whether the Leni Lenape Bethel Mission Settlement, dating back to 1746, once stood on the site.

Grubb said no evidence of Bethel was found on the proposed school site, and representatives of the firm have said the settlement was most likely located about a half-mile from the site.

In Guzzo's letter, however, she stated that officials from SHPO feel it is still unknown whether Bethel existed on the site.

"The location of 28-MI-243, within the area where Bethel is believed to have been sited, and dating to within the same time period, is compelling," Guzzo wrote. "However, the apparent absence of ... anything more likely to be of Native American origin ... in this substantial sample of remains from three features is problematic."

Aside from the additional work to be done on the 3.6 acres, the remainder of the site is not fully in the clear, either. As part of their conditions of release, the DEP is requiring monitoring by archaeologists during construction of the school on the 31.4 acres. Due to the size of the site, Guzzo wrote, more than one archaeologist may be required for the process.

If anything significant is found during construction, work on the portion in question must halt until investigation of the items is complete, Guzzo wrote. In addition, if human remains are found, they will undergo a different process. The remains would have to be left where they were found until various groups are consulted, and a plan of action is determined, according to Guzzo.

Board of Education member Rita Ostrager expressed concern about this possibility at the Sept. 10 meeting, saying there is a big risk involved in moving forward with construction. Nancy Prohaska, a township resident and member of Park Savers, agreed.

"I'm really not liking the fact that the Board of Education is slipping it under the rug, like there's nothing to worry about," Prohaska said. "There is no guarantee. They're just wasting the parents' time. They're wasting time and money."

Kolupanowich acknowledged the possibility of artifacts being found during construction, but said her impression from Grubb is that it is unlikely that anything would delay the building process. At the board's Sept. 26 meeting, the members will hash out the question once and for all, she said.

"The board will have to decide if we want to go ahead on this with a question mark attached," Kolupanowich said. "It's never an easy situation. You know, you take two steps forward and two steps back."

Prohaska pointed out that, aside from costs projected for the archaeological work, if construction is halted because of findings, workers still must be paid for their time, costing taxpayers even more money.

"We're going to have the smallest, most expensive high school in New Jersey," Prohaska said. "Congratulations. Maybe we should make it a tourist attraction."

According to Prohaska, the board was not fully honest with the community at its last meeting, because officials read Schaffer's letter to the public instead of quoting the DEP letter directly. Schaffer's letter, also dated Sept. 10, stated that regarding the 3.6 acres, "after that excavation occurs, it is anticipated that the Green Acres restrictions will also be lifted on that site."

Guzzo's letter does not give any such assurances.

"Monroe Township should understand that release of the project area outside of 28-MI-243 possesses no implications for the remainder of the subject parcel," Guzzo wrote. "It does not provide any guarantee or assurance that the 28-MI- 243 site area will be released; therefore, initiation of construction on the westernmost portion assumes this risk."

Prohaska said she views the board, aside from members Marvin Braverman and Rita Ostrager, as being run by school administrators who influence decisions. She questioned how many members of the board have children in the district, thereby giving them a vested interest.

"We've heard Peg Schaffer talk for two years [saying] that the deed was coming," Prohaska said. "I'm lost for words about how disgusted I am with their behavior."

Prohaska was a vocal opponent of the high school in the park since the idea's inception, and as a member of Park Savers, she participated in unsuccessful litigation to appeal the State House Commission's approval of a land diversion.

The land swap involves the trade of 170-plus acres of township-owned land for the 35-acre county-owned Thompson Park parcel. The township agreed to pay a $1.127 million supplement to make up for the higher value assessed on the park land.

Despite various delays and opposition, the Board of Education decided to stay the course for the park land. According to Hamilton, the township is in the process of meeting the original conditions of the State House approval. The next step is to deed the land to the school board, he said.