Schools

Voters to Decide on $20M School Repair Project

The state has agreed to pick up $8 million of the project, leaving $12 million to Cranford taxpayers.

Voters will get a chance to decide on a school district-wide roof, heating and ventilation improvement project that would cost Cranford taxpayers almost $12 million in school bonds.

Cranford’s Board of Education passed a resolution Monday to pose the improvement project for voter approval during a special school district election on December 8.

The state has agreed to fund 40 percent, or $7,992,506, of the project. This grant money would reduce the total taxpayer contribution to 60 percent, or $11,988,763.

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“As much as this is regular maintenance it does effect a lot of things,” said District Business Administrator Robert Carfagno. “Ventilation will make the air fresher, the heat will be better. We’re moving in the right direction to try to fix the air temperatures to make the schools more comfortable for the students.”

The $20 million project would fund roof replacement for all eight Cranford schools, upgrade heating and ventilation systems at Brookside Place, Walnut Avenue, and Lincoln schools, and replace boilers at Orange Avenue, Hillside Avenue, and Lincoln schools.

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“If we put off repairs, the situation will continue to deteriorate,” said board member Michael Caulfield. “Any repair, whenever it’s done, could turn out to be more costly.”

“This is $8 million from the state as opposed to $8 million from our pockets,” said board member and taxpayer Camille Widdows. “It’s not for frivolous endeavors, it’s for things that have to be fixed. You can wait about five years or do it now, either way it has to be done.”

The proposed $12 million in school bonds would cost individual taxpayers about $90 per year for about five years, said Carfagno. Cranford will lose the state’s $12 million grant if taxpayers choose to reject the project.

Board members also approved a comprehensive maintenance plan report for 2009 to 2011. The plan stipulates funding for repair and replacement of school doors, speaker and elevator systems, wall paint, piping, insulation, as well as annual inspection for all systems. The funding breakdown per school is as follows:

 

  • Cranford High School: $237,733 budgeted for 2008-2009. $255,954 budgeted for 2009-2010. $200,000 planned for 2011. 
  • Hillside Avenue School: $94,899 budgeted for 2008-2009. $91,148 budgeted for 2009-2010. $90,000 planned for 2011. 
  • Orange Avenue School: $59,230 budgeted for 2008-2009. $90,748 budgeted for 2009-2010. $90,000 planned for 2011. 
  • Bloomingdale Avenue School: $33,335 budgeted for 2008-2009. $35,943 budgeted for 2009-2010. $30,000 planned for 2011. 
  • Brookside Place School: $31,909 budgeted for 2008-2009. $33,963 budgeted for 2009-2010. $35,000 planned for 2011.
  • Lincoln School: $30,258 budgeted for 2008-2009. $36,291 budgeted for 2009-2010. $35,000 planned for 2011. 
  • Livingston Avenue School: $37,357 budgeted for 2008-2009. $33,343 budgeted for 2009-2010. $30,000 planned for 2011. 
  • Walnut Avenue School: $42,215 budgeted for 2008-2009. $47,439 budgeted for 2009-2010. $30,000 planned for 2011.

 

The report budgets a total of $540,000 for repairs and maintenance for the 2010-2011 school year.

The next Board of Education meeting is scheduled for November 9 at 8 p.m. in Lincoln School’s bottom floor.

 


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