BOE building purchase irresponsible and arrogant
By Frank Chrinko, Kendall Park
To the editor:
It was a cold January in 2005 when the South Brunswick Board of Education announced that a public hearing was to be held on Jan. 24 to discuss the possible relocation of the administrative offices on Executive Drive.
However, on the day of the scheduled hearing, a heavy snowstorm forced all of the schools to close.
Also, at 1 p.m. on the same day, the board cancelled the public hearing.
A few hours later, with no public announcement, a second decision was made to hold the public hearing anyway.
These events resulted in only one person from the public attending the meeting.
That person was me.
Only a local newspaper reporter also attended.
I raised many questions to the board about the proposed decision to lease such an over-sized building at extravigant rental rates for as much as 20 years.
I said the proposal was "too costly, too accelerated and too ambitious."
The board members, at the time, were silent to my objections and Superintendent (Gary McCartney) defended the proposal by claiming the extra 10,000 square feet of office space would generate income for the district.
That never happened.
As a result, the district lost 10 years of potential revenue. The vacant space was never marketed.
Furthermore, the public was never given the opportunity to weigh in on the lease negotiations because the superintendent admitted all discussions about this potentially $6 million expenditure were held in secret to protect the sensitive nature of the talks.
Now, after nine years of high costs, the board shows further arogance by committing to another $4.8 million to purchase the building.
Overall, this real estate boondoggle will result in taxpayer costs well in excess of $10 million when nine years of operating expenses are considered.
When will some sense of monetary scale be realized by these public officials?
The board has shown a degree of irresponsibility that is not befitting a public official’s sworn duty to serve the community.

