After nearly five years of controversy and various roadblocks, Monroe’s proposal to build a high school in Thompson Park took a huge step toward becoming a reality this week.
The state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) on Monday granted a conditional release of the deed for most of the 35-acre site sought for the school.
The same day, the Board of Education voted to pursue a Dec. 11 bond referendum that will ask taxpayers for another $41.9 million to build the school.
“The majority of the board always felt this was the right way to go,” Board of Education President Kathy Kolupanowich said yesterday.
The board, having received word from Assistant Township Attorney Peg Schaffer that receipt of the title for the park land was imminent, reviewed several options of how to proceed during Monday’s meeting, and decided to build the high school as originally slated. Later that evening, township officials received the official letter from Amy Cradic, assistant state commissioner of natural and historic resources, announcing that the DEP would release 31.4 acres of the site, as long as certain conditions were met.
The decision follows two state-ordered archeological surveys conducted on the site in recent months to determine if it was where the Leni Lenape Bethel Mission Indian Settlement once stood. Cranbury-based Grubb & Associates conducted the phase one and phase two surveys of the land, finding artifacts of mostly European origin in the easternmost portion of the site, on a 3.6-acre plot, and determined that Bethel, which dates to 1746, was more likely located about a half-mile from the area in question.
“The phase two survey was skewed to look in a certain area,” according to Richard Walling, who contends that Bethel stood on the proposed high school site. “Grubb was paid to report that there was no Indian connection.”
Walling’s research into the settlement and its leader, David Brainerd, led Grubb to interview him as part of the phase one work. Despite Grubb’s conclusions, Walling has continued to assert that Bethel was on the site.
According to Walling, Grubb’s reports to the township are contradicted by reports Grubb made to the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), and by his filing for the 3.6 acres to be registered as an archaeological site with the New Jersey State Museum in Trenton.
“I resent the fact that Mr. Walling would suggest my firm has an integrity problem when we followed a work plan designed by the DEP, and we found a significant site,” Richard Grubb said. “The artifacts tell us that it’s probably Euro-American. It’s hard to know what this thing is, but we have absolutely no evidence that this is the site of Bethel.”
Grubb also pointed out that the 3.6-acre portion is deed restricted because of the findings there. That section of the site will be fenced off when construction begins on other areas. Grubb will conduct a phase three investigation of the smaller parcel to check for additional significant artifacts.
“Phase three literally means, you have to dig the whole thing up,” Township Business Administrator Wayne Hamilton said.
Grubb representatives will also monitor construction on the 31.4 acres to see if any artifacts remain. Richard Grubb said even if something is found, it would probably not hinder the building process.
Hamilton said any artifacts found at the site will be removed, cataloged and sent to the state museum.
The administrator noted that the township also has to meet conditions set by the State House Commission in its previous approval of the township’s plan.
A 2003 referendum approved $82.9 million in funding for the construction of the high school. As various obstacles delayed the process of building the school, the cost of the project rose. Litigation from citizens’ and environmental groups attempted to appeal the State House Commission decision that allows for a land swap between the county and the township.
The township will trade 172 acres of township land for 35 acres of county-owned land in Thompson Park. The township agreed to pay a $1.127 million supplement to balance out the higher value assessed on the park land. With State House Commission approval granted in 2006, the only holdup had been in waiting for the DEP to release Green Acres restrictions on the proposed site.
School Business Administrator Wayne Holliday will prepare the necessary documents for the December referendum, and the school board is expected to pass a resolution authorizing it at a Sept. 26 meeting.
Instead of asking voters now for an unsure amount of extra funds needed to expand the proposed high school, the board chose to monitor demographics while construction is under way.
“We have no idea where the economy is going to go in the next couple of years,” Kolupanowich said.
Several board members said they would prefer to monitor the situation by conducting periodic demographic studies before moving forward with plans for an addition. A demographic study presented by Joseph Richardson, of Kinnelon-based Whitehall Associates, stated that the projected high school population in 2011 could be anywhere between 1,649 and 2,125 students.
“He believes it’s going to trend down,” Superintendent of Schools Ralph Ferrie said.
The new high school was planned to have a capacity of 1,800 students. Monroe Township High School currently has 1,551 students enrolled. School officials discussed the possibility of an addition on the proposed building, which would bring its capacity to between 2,200 and 2,400.
“We would be spit-balling on figuring out what we need,” board Vice President Lew Kaufman said.
Board members also said they do not anticipate voters passing a referendum if it includes funding for the addition, because the board is already asking for close to $42 million more than what was originally thought necessary for the school.
If the referendum passes in December, the project can then go out to bid and the contract would be awarded in March or April, Kolupanowich said. If all goes as planned, the target opening date of spring 2011 will be met, she said.
Board members said last week that they had hoped to see a large turnout at Monday’s meeting so they could consider input from the public when making their decision. Approximately 20 residents attended the meeting.
“If the … parents were truly involved in the interests of the children, we would have a high school built,” resident David Holmann said. “You barely get 20 percent of the parents of school-age children to get out and vote.”
Resident and Park Savers member Nancy Prohaska, who is opposed to using park land for the school, said it does not matter how few people attend meetings, because it is the responsibility of the board to look out for the best interests of the students.
“This was an absolute disgrace,” Prohaska said of the years-long process.
Board member Marvin Braverman said voters have chosen to keep those in favor of the status quo on the board.
Braverman cast the one dissenting vote on the referendum decision Monday.
“This board should have had a very open discussion about the various things we could do,” Braverman said. “This board has tunnel vision. There are other alternatives, but we just don’t have the foresight to talk about them.”