By Frank Mustac, Correspondent
Members of the Hopewell Valley Regional School District Board of Education voted on Monday to finalize a proposed $35 million referendum that will go before voters next month.
If residents in Hopewell Borough, Pennington Borough and Hopewell Township pass the spending measure during a special election on Tuesday, Sept. 27, the bond would fund repair work, construction, alterations and other capital improvements at several schools in the district.
The bond question, which can be found online, describes in part how a state program will be used to reimburse a sizable portion of funds being borrowed back to the school district.
According to officials, a nearly three-year comprehensive review of potential district improvement projects revealed approximately $60 million of “justified projects” across all facilities. Of that amount, officials said approximately $36 million were listed as “immediate needs.”
Among the proposed capital improvement projects is more than $7 million worth of roof replacement work and repairs for heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, especially at the high school and middle school. Old and inefficient windows and doors will be maintained or replaced.
There are also plans for upgrades to fire alarms and intercoms at all the schools, and renovations to playgrounds, restrooms and media centers.
At the high school, installation of new ceilings and energy-efficient lighting are planned, along with renovations to the cafeteria. There are also designs to reconfigure the high school front entrance and offices to provide better access to individuals with disabilities and increase security.
One of the larger projects planned is the construction of a $5.2 million “Arts and Wellness space” addition to Hopewell Valley Central High School. Spanning 10,500 square feet, the new addition will include a new gymnasium and a “black room” for students enrolled in performing arts courses to rehearse.
“The projects really span all of our schools,” Superintendent Thomas Smith said. “Whether you have a child in one of the elementary schools, or middle school or high school, we tried to address all of our maintenance improvement projects in this referendum because it is better for the taxpayers.”
Board President Lisa Wolff said the referendum will go before the voters at the right time “because we planned it so thoroughly. We dotted every ‘I’ and crossed every ‘T.’ ”
“All of us have something to be to be proud of, including the students and the taxpayers,” Ms. Wolff said. “We’re going to minimize the impact to the taxpayers, and the students are really going to get a better environment. Ultimately, I think it’s should relate to improved student achievement, which is why we’re all here.”
According to Dr. Smith, financing the projects through a bond referendum makes partial reimbursement from the state possible.
Approximately 40 percent of nearly $26 million worth of projects are eligible under the state’s debt service aid program, meaning those funds would be returned to the district over time. The program is part of the Educational Facilities Construction and Financing Act, which was passed in 2000.
“The vast majority of these projects are eligible,” Dr. Smith said. “We’ve said it many times before that this is the right time to complete these projects. We’re very excited over the prospect of being able to tackle some of these long-term maintenance issues in the district.”
“If these projects were not contained in a referendum, they would have to be funded through our regular operating budget and they would not be eligible for the 40 percent debt service aid,” he said.
A complete list of projects at each school, as well as an informational video about the referendum as a whole, is currently available for viewing at the district’s website. The video will also be played regularly on local cable television channels 19 and 32.
