Middletown voters resoundingly approved spending $32.9 million to upgrade roofs and repair heating and cooling systems at township schools, according to unofficial results from the Monmouth County Board of Elections.
Nearly 3,000 of the 4,109 votes cast in the March 11 special election were in favor of the project, which will bring improvements to 15 of the public school district’s 17 schools over the next two years.
The referendum came after weeks of public outreach by Middletown Board of Education officials, who sought to take advantage of $19 million in available state grants by beginning work this summer.
The project will bring new roofs to Bayview, Fairview, Leonardo, Lincroft, New Monmouth, River Plaza and Navesink elementary schools, and partially replace the roofs at Middletown Village, Nut Swamp and Ocean Avenue elementary schools. Bayshore Middle School’s roof will also be completely replaced, while the roofs at Thorne and Thompson middle schools and both high schools would be partially replaced.
The work will also include heating and cooling enhancements at all three middle schools and both high schools.