District plans for $46.32 million plan to be completed in two phases.
By: Rebecca Tokarz
Rebecca TokarzStaff Writer
Officials are expected to recommend a schedule for the completion of renovations and upgrades to five of the district’s elementary schools, Tuesday.
Projects include new wings and renovations at Brunswick Acres, Cambridge, Constable, Greenbrook and Monmouth Junction schools, and an addition to Crossroads South Middle School for a teacher training center that could be converted into classroom space if needed. The high school’s auto shop, located at Crossroads North Middle School on Georges Road, will be renovated into four classrooms for middle school instruction.
One of the plan’s largest projects will include the demolition of a detached classroom area at Cambridge.
According to school officials, district architect Scott Spiezle of the Trenton-based Spiezle Architectural Group will be on hand Tuesday to discuss timetables for the projects, which will be completed in two phases. The meeting will be at 8 p.m. in the auditorium at Crossroads North Middle School on Georges Road.
The $46.32 million plan received public approval through the passage of a Dec. 9 referendum. The plan, which carries a $33.12 million price tag for taxpayers, will increase school taxes by 2.43 percent, or 4.8 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. The owner of a home assessed at the township average of $186,900 will pay $89.71 more a year for 25 years to cover the cost of the plan.
The state will provide the district $13.3 million in aid for the project, school officials said.
The current school tax rate is $1.971 per $100 of assessed valuation, with the owner of a home assessed at the township average paying $3,683 in school taxes.
School officials said the changes to the district’s five elementary schools and two middle schools will help the district cope with an anticipated 650-seat deficit by the 2006-07 school year at the K-5 level, as well as an expected 100-seat shortfall at the middle schools.
Officials said construction will take place in two phases phase one will be completed by September 2005 and the remainder by September 2006.
Because of the extensive work that will be done at Cambridge, the school will be included in the second phase, according to Assistant Superintendent for Business Jeff Scott.
As part of the plan, schools that lack floor-to-ceiling walls will receive them. Permanent built-in stages, music, art and small group instructional spaces also are included in the plans, as are new cafeterias that are separate from gymnasiums. In addition, HVAC systems will be upgraded at every school.