Back Timberlane wetlands study commissioned; personnel actions taken

SCHOOL BOARD UPDATE

By John Tredrea
   A freshwater wetlands application to state government for the Back Timberlane athletic fields project will be done by the Princeton-based engineering firm of Van Note Harvey, the Hopewell Valley Regional Board of Education voted unanimously Monday night.
   The firm will be paid $6,000, plus fees and expenses for the job.
   Defeated in a referendum earlier this year was a $1.9 million funding proposal to build nine new athletic fields on 48 acres on the western end of Timberlane Middle School’s extensive grounds.
   The district has been working for months on trying to fund the project from other sources. Several hundred thousand dollars worth of topsoil has been pledged to the project should it ever be built.
   Because there are wetlands on the Back Timberlane tract, a wetlands application of the type that will be prepared by an environmental engineer from Van Note Harvey is required by state law. The application will be sent to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
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   IN OTHER BUSINESS, Personnel actions approved unanimously by the school board Monday night include:
   • Acceptance of the resignation of Maria Gonzalez, Central High School Spanish teacher, effective January 2, 2003.
   • Acceptance of the resignation of Laura Seidel, Timberlane Middle School special education teacher, effective Jan. 10, 2003.
   • Acceptance of the retirement of Guy Kratzer, Central High School custodian, effective Oct. 30, 2002.