Board to ask for $41.9M more for school Dec. 11
Construction costs have risen since $83M bond was approved
BY JESSICA SMITH Staff Writer
Monroe Township voters will soon have the opportunity to provide the missing cornerstone for the building of the new high school in Thompson Park.

A Dec. 11 referendum will ask residents for an additional $41.9 million to see the project through to completion.

"This is the last piece of the puzzle," Board of Education President Kathy Kolupanowich said. "This is the last piece we need in order to build this high school."

The bond amount represents a tax increase of 2.9 cents per $100 of assessed valuation on properties, or $52 per year for a home assessed at the township average of $175,000.

"You'll be getting a brand-new high school for a little over $4 a month," Kolupanowich said. "I think the important thing is, if this referendum doesn't pass, we still need a high school, and costs will continue to rise."

The process of obtaining everything necessary for the school's construction has been long and arduous for everyone involved. Voters passed a referendum in December 2003 for $82.9 million, which included $15 million in state aid, to fund the new school, but delays and obstacles arose to thwart the project's inception.

Litigation from environmental and citizens' groups proved unsuccessful in stopping a land diversion that involves trading park land at Schoolhouse and Perrineville roads for 172 acres of townshipowned land. Although approvals from the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) have been a long time coming, the school site is on the brink of being released to the Board of Education, according to Superintendent of Schools Ralph Ferrie.

"They're waiting for final signatures," Ferrie said.

The site, originally slated to be 35 acres, has been reduced to 31.4 acres because of artifacts found on a 3.6-acre portion of it. The DEP required archaeological studies at the site after questions arose regarding the past location of the historic Leni Lenape Bethel Mission Settlement there. Though the DEP is willing to release the majority of the acreage, it is requiring archaeological monitoring there while construction takes place.

Moving the footprint of the building to avoid the 3.6 acres has allowed the board to sidestep some costs and delays. Design changes made to the plans as a result of the reduction in acreage include a change in detention basins to recharge basins that will be supplemented by underground stormwater storage, and the elimination of an athletic field, along with changes to a parking area.

Some residents expressed concerns about changes to stormwater management having adverse effects on neighboring Jamesburg, which is already a flood-prone area. Architect Jim Morton of Design Ideas Group assured them that such problems would be avoided with proper planning.

The changes come at a cost of $170,000 from Design Ideas Group, but provide a savings when compared to the $850,000 it would have cost to perform the required phase III archaeological survey on the 3.6- acre portion of the site.

Permits from the DEP and the Freehold Soil Conservation District must be obtained before the changes can be enacted.

"There is no expectation that this is going to hold up the project," Kolupanowich said.

If the referendum is approved, plans will stay on course for the school to be built by September 2011, according to school officials.

The new high school will accommodate 1,800 to 2,000 students, and will consist of 365,000 square feet of educational facilities. Program-specific spaces for activities including woodshop, technology, graphic arts, photography and home economics will enhance students' school experience, according to school board documents.

In anticipation of further growth in the district, the new high school will be built to make future expansion possible.

To accommodate additional students at the district's other schools, the current high school will become a middle school for grades six through eight, and Applegarth School will become an elementary school.

An additional new elementary school is being built on Applegarth Road. The future Oak Tree Elementary School was approved in a January 2006 referendum for $26.8 million.

Since 1999, the existing high school has suffered from overcrowding due to continued growth in student enrollment. Temporary classroom trailers have provided a Band-Aid for the problem, but renting them costs taxpayers over $1 million per year.

Other costs brought on by delays in the process have sapped money from the 2003 bond. Despite this, the majority of the $3 million-plus that was spent as of January went toward costs for design and other aspects of the project that would have been necessary regardless of the delays.

Rising construction and material costs over the past five years also contributed to the need for additional funding for the new high school.

School Business Administrator Wayne Holliday was unavailable to provide current figures for what is left of the 2003 bond.

In order to provide the public with information about the referendum and the project it will fund, the Board of Education hired Sparta-based public relations firm Zander Consulting. The company has conducted open houses and sent out literature to inform residents about the upcoming vote.

"We know that the information is getting out there, and they're doing a good job of doing that," Kolupanowich said. "I'm just asking the public to come out Dec. 11 and support this referendum."

Members of the public will have another opportunity to attend an open house on Dec. 6 at the existing high school. There, they can pose questions, meet with professionals involved in the project and take a tour of the school. Residents can also glean information about the referendum by calling the referendum hot line at (732) 521-2882, ext. 1700, or by visiting the district Web site at www.monroe.k12.nj.us.