This is the fourth in a series of stories looking at the various projects planned in the $9.9 million school maintenance referendum scheduled for a vote Sept. 27.
By: Donna Lukiw
Projects at five of the township’s six elementary schools comprise almost half of the $9.9 million school maintenance referendum facing voters Sept. 27.
The work at the Hillsborough Elementary, Sunnymead, Triangle, Amsterdam, Woodfern schools and three technology upgrade projects account for $4,644,677 of the referendum, with many parts of the schools due for renovations and replacements, according to school officials.
Among the eight projects planned for Hillsborough Elementary School are replacing the ceiling and lighting in hallways, upgrading the exterior of the building, replacing doors and hardware and replacing carpet with tile.
Chief among the projects is the $264,000 replacement of 20 heating unit ventilators on the Amwell Road side of the building.
Repaving driveways and parking lots are planned for the Hillsborough Triangle and Sunnymead schools.
"There are a number of potholes and cracks throughout the driveway and parking lot," Assistant Superintendent of Business Tom Venanzi said. "It was repaved over 15 years ago and needs it again."
Other replacements at Hillsborough Elementary include renovating faculty restrooms and redesigning office space to improve security.
"There is not visibility for office staff when people come to Hillsborough School," Mr. Venanzi said. "The redesign will improve security in that the visitors entering the school will not be able to get past the office since the office staff will be next to the main entrance."
The nine projects at Sunnymead also include renovating bathrooms and replacing exterior doors at select rooms. The estimated cost of the work totals $822,336.
Replacing classroom sinks, cabinets and doors are estimated to cost $127,000 and replacing the windows would cost $181,300.
Other projects at Sunnymead include replacing lighting in the classrooms, replacing carpets with tiles and replacing the interior doors and the hardware.
Sunnymead, Triangle and Amsterdam schools are all expected to replace their playground equipment.
Mary Ann Mullady, Amsterdam principal, said the playground is showing its age and it needs to be replaced.
"It’s been here since the school was built," Ms. Mullady said. "Some of the things that concern us is that the nuts and bolts stick out. We want to replace it before it becomes a safety issue."
Besides replacing the playground, Triangle school is also looking to replace classroom sinks and cabinets, gutters and downspouts and ceiling tiles and lighting. The estimated cost for all 10 projects at Triangle is $1,015,734.
Woodfern School is slated for new gutters if the referendum is passed because of safety concerns, according to Principal Matt Hoffman.
The gutters and downspouts are being replaced because the leak which causes a hazard in the winter when they drip on the front sidewalk where the children enter and exit the building," Mr. Hoffman said.
If the referendum passes, four elementary schools would replace the windows including Sunnymead, Triangle, Woods Road and Woodfern schools.
"The windows being replaced are the original windows when the school was constructed," Mr. Venanzi said. "In most cases, the windows are about 40 years old, single pane and not energy efficient. Like most of these projects being proposed, they are well past their expected life and should be replaced."
Woodfern’s $852,719 projects include converting a storage room to office space, refurbishing two faculty rooms and replacing the gym floor.
The high school and middle school are expected to see some technology upgrades estimated at $918,720. A generator system will be installed at the high school to back up the district network and phone system and switching and infrastructure upgrades are also expected at the high school.
Wireless network would be installed at the high school and middle school to give students an option of being online while at school with their own laptops.
The state is expected to fund $3.3 million, or just about 34 percent, of the cost of all the district’s projects. If passed by the voters in September, the referendum would cost the owner of a home assessed at the Hillsborough average of $350,000 an additional $60 annually. The current school portion of the municipal tax rate of $1.837 would increase by 1.8 cents to $1.855 if the referendum is approved.
The Board of Education will be holding a community forum to highlight the proposed referendum on Sept. 15 and 21 at 7 p.m. at the middle school annex.