The $7.3 million project goes to Cranbury voters Jan. 22.
CRANBURY Citizens Advocating the Referendum for Education has scheduled a series of neighborhood coffees designed to present information on the Jan. 22 school vote.
The $7.3 million plan calls for construction of seven new general classrooms, a gymnasium, special education, preschool-disabled and basic-skills class rooms, a conference room, boys and girls locker rooms and bath rooms. The state Department of Education announced last week it will be providing $1.3 million in aid for the project. The voters will be asked to approve the remaining $5.9 million.
According to the Board of Education, Cranbury taxpayers could see their school taxes increase by 3 percent if the referendum passes. It said last month that the owner of a house assessed at $100,000 could face a $62.70 a year tax increase, which works out to a tax increase of 6.27 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. The owner of a house assessed at the township average of $275,000 would pay $172 per year in new taxes to finance the wing, based on the board’s estimates. The school board would not confirm the tax rate increase.
Taxpayers currently pay $1.97 per $100 of assessed valuation, with the owner of a $275,000 house paying $5,417.50 in school taxes.
The board is asking for the new wing because it anticipates enrollment growing from the current 578 students to 612 by 2004.
The school board will hold an open house at the school Jan. 15 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.. The project architect, KSS Architects of Cranbury, will be in attendance.
CARE said that all members of the community are invited to attend the coffees.
The schedule is as follows:
Monday, Jan. 7: 10 a.m. at the home of Phyllis and Scott Smith, 31 Bodine Drive; 7:30 p.m. at the home of Sarah and Mitch Kleiman, 73 Old Trenton Road;
Tuesday, Jan. 8: 7 p.m. at the home of Lynn and Steve Schwarz, 16 Jefferson Road;
Wednesday, Jan. 9: 9:30 a.m. at the home of Ruth and Andy Jost, 45 S. Main St.;
Thursday, Jan. 10: 7:30 p.m. at the home of Maureen and Richard Johnson, 23 Parkview Road;
Friday, Jan. 11: 7:30 p.m. at the home of Bev and Jim Gerberich, 43 Evans Drive;
Monday, Jan. 14: 7 p.m. at the home of Cathleen and Tom Panconi, 29 Bergen Drive;
Wednesday, Jan. 16: 9:30 a.m. at the home of Christa and John Persico, 13 Griggs Road; 7 p.m. at the home of Michelle Newman-Dickey and Ray Dickey, 16 Prospect St.;
Thursday, Jan. 17: 9:30 a.m. at the home of Therese and Alex Kishyk, 4 Symmes Court; 7:30 p.m. at the home of Elizabeth and Ken Griffin, One Silvers Lane;
Friday, Jan. 18: 7:30 p.m. at the home of Donna and George Tarantino, Two Farmstead Way.