Officials note ‘long process’ to getting voter approval
By: Mae Rhine
WEST AMWELL — The sun illuminated the already bright faces of the fourth- through sixth-grade chorus as the youngsters turned their heads skyward, singing “A Small Part of the World” at a ground-breaking ceremony Friday at West Amwell Elementary School.
The entire school took part in the ceremony to mark the beginning of construction of two 1,200-square-foot classrooms. Guests included members of the Board of Education, police, residents and others.
Superintendent Anthony DeCanzio kept his opening remarks geared to his young charges, explaining what a ground-breaking ceremony is and how, next year, they would return to school to find two new kindergarten classrooms in a new addition behind the school.
But Armand Christopher of USA Architects addressed the older members of the crowd, sighing, “It has been a long process.”
West Amwell saw two referenda soundly defeated before it finally convinced voters to let it spend $2 million for basic repair and replacement of the deteriorated heating, plumbing and electrical systems as well as the two classrooms.
The first referendum, in October 1998, asked voters to approve a $5.3 million expansion and approved project. It was rejected soundly by a 2-1 margin.
The following May, voters also solidly rejected a three-tier $5.1 million plan by the same 2-1 margin.
But the mood was high Friday as memories of those rejections faded quickly when Mr. Christopher presented Board President Deborah Schulze with the ceremonial ground-breaking shovel. He also ribbed other board members for refusing to wear the hard hats he had brought with him to the ceremony. “They’re afraid to wear them,” he joked, placing his own hard hat firmly on his head. Board members and other officials smiled and donned their own hats, including Ms. Schulze as she accepted the shovel.
“We’re ready to break some ground,” Mr. Christopher said amid applause from the crowd.
Earlier the mood had been more reflective as the school silently paid tribute to former board President Robert Kascik who died of cancer last year. A hand-made plaque of a resolution adopted last year in honor of the 16-year board member was shown proudly to guests, faculty and students.
The resolution — five paragraphs in all — said simply that his passing had left school officials “with tremendous sorrow and heartfelt loss” and his memory would “forever be a part of our thoughts as we continue to strive to maintain a safe environment for the children of West Amwell Township in the school that he loved so much.”
It also noted that Mr. Kascik would “forever be an example to young and old as to what it truly means to serve your community unselfishly for no personal gain or reward” and that his life “touched all of us in so very many ways” and he would “forever be a part of our West Amwell Township School family.”
Later, the students and teachers lined up in front of a Scozzari Builders Inc. truck, the construction company from Lawrenceville that will build the new rooms.
When the ceremonies were over, the entire school cheered as Mr. DeCanzio shouted, “All right! Let’s hear it.”