School Officials Outline $20M Repairs Project

Board of Education officials presented details regarding a $20 million district-wide school repair project to town officials and Cranford residents on Tuesday night. Supporters pointed to the state's intent to fund a portion of the project, as well as low interest rates, and the necessity of the repairs as reasons voters should approve the project.

Their presentation was met with enthusiasm from both supporters and detractors based around one aspect of the plan: the state's promise to front some of the cost, leaving taxpayers with a $12 million bond bill.

The project would replace the roofs of all eight Cranford schools. It would also replace the outdated original boilers at Orange Avenue and Hillside Avenue schools, and an old boiler at Lincoln School, and upgrade heating/ventilation systems at Brookside Place, Walnut Avenue, and Bloomingdale Avenue schools.
   
"The State of New Jersey recently allocated grant funding for school facilities projects," said Robert Carfagno, business administrator for the school district.  "Cranford applied for financial assistance from the state based on their definition of critical need." 

The aging roofs, boilers, and ventilation systems were included on Cranford's application as potential health risks, as some of these haven't been replaced in as much as 50 years.
 
Superintendent Gayle Carrick and Carfagno did not expect the state to offer funding for all eight schools because of Cranford's stable economic status, but because there was risk to the students' health, the state offered to pay 40 percent.
   
That means Cranford taxpayers need to come up with the other 60 percent. 

There is a sense of urgency associated with the state's grant.  For one, since interest rates are at their lowest level in decades, it would make financial sense to lock into them now, said Carfagno. Also, this funding will not be guaranteed in the future.  This project is looking to be cost efficient in the long run, as the old boilers and heaters have outlived their efficiency.
   
New Jersey "limits a local board of education's ability to increase the school district budget by more than four percent," Carfagno said, and that is why taxpayers have to vote on this special referendum. 
   
This project is not small, and it will not be cheap.  The project's maximum total cost is $19,981,269.  The state's 40 percent contribution of this total amounts to $7,992,506, so the remaining cost to taxpayers will be $11,988,763.  Since the average cost of a home in Cranford is $181,000, the school board estimates that it will cost approximately $95 annually per home until the debt is paid off.
   
"We're looking for energy efficiency," Mayor David Robinson said. "Unfortunately, the cost of band-aid repairs to the schools' rooftops coupled with their inability to hold solar panels has hindered the process of going green."
   
While the plan was met enthusiastically by Robinson and the rest of the town committee, the feeling was not unanimous.  When it came time for public comment, John McCann of Lenhome Drive mentioned that it felt like he was "being had." 
   
"This whole idea that for us to take advantage of 40 percent from the state, we come up with the 60 percent, is kind of funny," he said. "Here we are paying 60 percent as Cranford taxpayers so we can pay 40 percent as New Jersey state taxpayers.  We're literally voting yes to get money that's already ours."
   
Voters will get a chance to approve or reject the referendum on December 8 from 2 to 9 p.m.  The designated voting places will be the same as they would for any government election, and there will be sample ballots sent by mail, as usual.