State ready to contribute to school
expansion
By Sherry conohan
Staff Writer
WEST LONG BRANCH — The Board of Education has accepted the state Department of Education’s offer of a $2.1 million grant for construction of an addition and renovations to the borough’s two schools. It set in motion a process to place a $7.6 million referendum on the ballot for Sept. 30.
The board’s next regularly scheduled meeting is a workshop Aug. 19.
Dayton Faunce, the board’s business administrator, said the addition and renovations are estimated to cost $7,376,379, and the state is providing $2,107,537.
Faunce said the question on the ballot will seek approval for the expenditure of $7,645,999.35. He said that figure includes the "soft costs" involved, such as construction management fees and bond counsel fees, which the state Department of Education does not consider when deciding on a grant.
That leaves $5,538,462.35 to be paid for through local property taxes.
Faunce said the board has asked its bond counsel, Wilentz Goldman & Spitzer of Woodbridge, to provide it with rates, lengths and terms for various bonds and what the tax would be to support each.
The project will include the construction of a one-story addition to serve both the Frank Antonides School and the Betty McElmon School with a library/media center, two computer labs, a band room, an art room, three classrooms and two small group instruction rooms. It also includes renovations to both schools.
The renovations to the Betty McElmon School will include converting the present library/media center into two classrooms.