HOLMDEL — In response to several major snowstorms this winter, the Township Committee authorized the township Police Department and school officials to collaborate on school and facility closures in cases of inclement weather.
Deputy Mayor Serena DiMaso proposed at the Jan. 20 Township Committee meeting that township police and the Holmdel School District work together to inform the public about facility closures, especially when events are held at school buildings on weekends when most district employees are not on the grounds.
“They [police] patrol the parking lots anyway, but over the past snow season already we’ve had a couple of cancellations, DiMaso said. “It’s mostly because they [the schools] don’t have the help to come in. I think if the police are already patrolling the lot, if they could reach out to [Director of Plant, Operations and Maintenance] Bill Balicki and let him know if the parking lots are good or not good, that would be helpful to the Board of Education in making a decision as to whether or not they need to close their facilities. It doesn’t cost anyone any money… it’s just working hand in hand for the betterment of the community.”
Currently, Superintendent of Schools Barbara Duncan assesses the weather conditions with Balicki before relaying emails, phone calls and providing notice on the district website. However, if the district cancels a school-based weekend event on a Friday afternoon due to a predicted snowstorm that fizzles out, DiMaso said the police should intervene and keep residents informed.
“For instance, on a Saturday morning, they [school employees] are not here anymore,” DiMaso said. “Once there was a weekend where they canceled school on Friday because of a looming snowstorm and the snowstorm … didn’t come to fruition. In that particular case, they could have used the police to tell them [it was] fine.”
Saturday classes of the Jersey Shore Chinese School are held at the William R. Satz School. District sports, music and drama practices could also be affected. The Community YMCA Northern Monmouth Branch also offers programming to the Holmdel School District in the summertime.
Board member Michael Collins, chair of the board’s buildings and grounds committee, said he appreciates the committee’s efforts and hopes to continue talks with the governing body.
“The board is concerned about this too,” Collins said. “We will have a dialogue to ensure that proper communications occur so that members of the community are satisfied with the facility use we are offering and to ensure issues don’t arise as they did in the past.”