FREEHOLD — The Freehold Borough K-8 School District Board of Education may make a decision at its March 10 meeting on which construction project to place before voters in September.
Board members were presented with several construction options on Feb. 10 and discussed those options on Feb. 24 as they continued to consider how to accommodate an increasing pupil enrollment.
If board members want to place a referendum before voters on Sept. 30, they must make a decision on a construction option by the end of March, according to district administrators.
Any construction plan put forth by the board will be subject to review by the state Department of Education.
A representative of the architectural firm Fraytak Veisz Hopkins Duthie presented the construction options to the school board on Feb. 10.
On Feb. 24, Robbi Acampora, the managing director of Phoenix Advisors, Bordentown, presented a tax impact analysis of those plans.
The district has three schools: the Freehold Learning Center elementary school (FLC), the Park Avenue Elementary School (PAES) and the Freehold Intermediate School (FIS).
Freehold Borough Superintendent of Schools Rocco Tomazic has said enrollment is outpacing demographic projections that were presented to the board in July 2013.
Information provided by administrators indicates that the incoming kindergarten class for 2014-15 will be significantly larger than this year’s eighth-grade graduating class.
Freehold Borough is renting classroom space for kindergartners in the neighboring Freehold Township K-8 School District and has plans to rent even more space for kindergartners in Freehold Township in the 2014-15 school year.
The construction plans prepared by the architect range in cost from about $17.5 million to about $43.9 million.
The options for each school begin with a Plan A and build on subsequent plans.
Option A for FLC includes the addition of four kindergarten classrooms and a receiving kitchen. A designated space for children to have their meals will be created from existing space in the school.
Currently, the gymnasium at FLC serves as a cafeteria. The fire alarm system and the public address system would be replaced. Technology and utilities upgrades are planned.
Plan B for FLC includes all of Plan A’s proposed improvements and builds on that with the addition of three more kindergarten classrooms and four pre-kindergarten classrooms.
Plan C for FLC includes Plan A and Plan B, and provides for major renovations of existing classrooms. A library would be created from existing space in the school. Technology upgrades and a new sprinkler system would also be included.
At the PAES/FIS complex, Plan A includes the addition of four classrooms, a new gymnasium and locker rooms, and partial air conditioning. Three classrooms will be created out of two large existing classrooms.
Plan B for PAES/FIS includes Plan A and adds a library media center, a new cafeteria, a new lobby and total air conditioning installation.
Plan C for PAES/FIS incorporates Plans A and B, and restructures the district’s administrative offices to become small instruction classrooms. An addition would be built for the district’s administrative offices. This plan also adds a sprinkler system, utilities upgrades, and plumbing and electrical improvements.
Acampora’s presentation about the financial impact of the construction plans included the following assumptions: that there is no assessed valuation growth in the borough; that the 2014 assessed value of the average home in Freehold Borough is $255,600; that state aid for debt service is 50 to 60 percent; and that the bond term would be 30 years.
She referred to the bond structure as “wrap-around existing debt service” and noted that the district has ongoing debt service for a previous referendum which is scheduled to be paid by 2017. She estimated the bond rate would be about 4.65 percent.
Although all of the project options were analyzed, Acampora focused on a $21.4 million plan known as Alternate Option, which includes Plan A and Plan B at FLC and Plan A for the PAES/FIS complex.
Acampora said the tax impact for the $21.4 million project would be $63 for every $100,000 of assessed value. Therefore, the owner of a home assessed at the borough average of $255,600 would pay an additional $161 per year.
Acampora presented a tax impact comparison summary of all the options.
The owner of a $255,600 home would pay an additional $131 per year on the $17.5 million plan that offers Option A for FLC and for PAES/FIS.
The owner of a $255,600 home would pay an additional $230 per year if the $32.7 million plan that offers Options A and B for FLC and for PAES/FIS is chosen.
The owner of a $255,600 home would pay an additional $284 per year if the $43.9 million option that offers Plan A, B and C for FLC and for PAES/FIS is chosen. Contact Clare Marie Celano at ccelano@gmnews.com.