School board mulls $7 million expansion project

The tax impact could be between $136 and $176 a year for the owner of a house assessed at $100,000.

By: Casha Caponegro
   The school board is considering a school expansion project that could cost approximately $7 million.
   The board listened to presentations Wednesday from KSS architect, Allan Kehrt, Robert Emery of Bovis Lend Lease, Robbie Acompora of Capital Financial Advisors and Andrea Kahn, a bond counselor for McManimon and Scotland.
   In addition, a group of teachers, parents and residents voiced their concerns about the proposed expansion project.
   The expansion was originally proposed on Sept. 4 as a solution to expected enrollment increases. According to a presentation by Vice Principal Carol Malouf, the school is suffering from overcrowded conditions, which may get worse as more students attend the school.
   There are 578 students at the Cranbury School. A recent demographic study by University Associates shows that enrollment will increase to 604 students by 2003 and 612 students in 2004.
   The school serves kindergarten through eighth grade and originally opened in 1896. The portion of the school that now houses classrooms and the Cranbury Public Library was completed in 1968 and has undergone several expansions, including a 1997 addition that included two new industrial arts rooms.
   An Ad Hoc Facilities Committee, made up of township officials, faculty, residents and parents created in January to assess the current gym facilities.
   Along with a new gymnasium, the committee recommended the construction of six additional classrooms. The school administration is now asking for one additional classroom based on the results of the demographic report.
   Mr. Kehrt presented two preliminary proposals for the expansion on Sept. 4. Both included a 12,000-square-foot gym facility and five to seven classrooms.
   Option A, which would include five classrooms, was estimated to cost approximately $8.4 million, according to the Bovis cost estimate. Option B, which included seven classrooms, was estimated at $8.9 million.
   Mr. Kehrt has since met with Bovis several times and has been able to reduce the expansion by 3,600-square-feet. The reductions mean the estimated cost would be $7.3 million.
   "I am absolutely confident that we can pull this cost down further," said Mr. Kehrt, who added he believes he can get the cost closer to $7 million.
   Mr. Emery said the cost estimate provided by Bovis includes contingency percentages of 5 to 10 percent that would cover any unexpected problems during the design and construction periods of the project.
   "The design contingency percentage will come down once the design process is completed," said Mr. Emery. "The construction contingency will stay in the estimate until the project is completed."
   Although the school board agreed the expansion project should contain seven classrooms, Mr. Kehrt included two fallbacks in his approval, in case the board wants to instead consider five classrooms.
   If the board decides to use one of these fallbacks, thereby only adding five new classrooms, it would knock off approximately $400,000 from the estimated cost, said Mr. Kehrt.
   Ms. Acompora said the tax impact could be between $136 to $176 annually for the owner of a house assessed at $100,000. According to the township tax office, the cost of the average home in Cranbury falls somewhere between $250,000 to $300,000.
   Ms. Acompora also presented tax impact options based on a 15- or 20-year payment plan.
   The tax assessment also assumes that the board does not receive state aid, which Richard Vespucci of the state Department of Education said will not be the case.
   "Depending on the wealth of the school district, they are guaranteed a minimum reimbursement rate of 40 percent," said Mr. Vespucci.
   One concerned resident said Cranbury is still paying off a tax increase from the 1994 referendum, which covered the addition of the school completed in 1997.
   "We have not felt the impact in our own taxes fully from the 1994 referendum," said Connie Bauder. "There are a whole lot of things we have to look at and so many unknowns right now at the present time. I don’t think at this time we can afford it."
   The majority of parents, however, supported a school addition, regardless of its cost.
   "I don’t know if parents recognize that we are in jeopardy of changing our 25 kids-per-room policy if this referendum does not pass," said Karen Klein.
   "It is a no-brainer to give children the best and create a world-class school for our children," said Richard Rifkin, who proposed a strong marketing campaign to educate the town about the reasons for the proposed expansion.
   Mr. Kehrt plans to meet with school faculty and Bovis over the next week in an attempt to further lower the cost. He will present his revised design to the board on Oct. 2, which is when it will finalize the decision to go forward with this project.
   The board will then submit its proposal to the state Department of Education, which has 90 days to review the project before a referendum can be held. The board hopes to hold a referendum in late January.