School
plan gets thumbs up, down
$42M Warren Hills project debated.
Friday, September 24, 2004 • By BILL BRAY •
The Express-Times
MANSFIELD TWP. -- Reactions were mixed Thursday to the
$42.8 million plan to expand and renovate Warren Hills high
and middle schools.
Superintendent Peter Merluzzi explained the project to a
crowd of about 50 people at Mansfield Elementary School
during the last of a series of public forums held by the
regional district.
Voters will go to the polls Tuesday to decide the
project's fate in a bond referendum. Polls will be open from
2 to 9 p.m. in their normal locations in Washington, and
Mansfield, Franklin and Washington townships.
Tom Barski of Mansfield Township said he'd only recently
learned about the referendum and accused the regional school
board of trying to push it through.
"How much time do I have to think about it?" Barski
said.
The project would add 48,000 square feet to Warren Hills
High School and 7,400 square feet to Warren Hills Middle
School and renovate an additional 43,500 square feet and
8,000 square of existing space at each school,
respectively.
At the high school, the project calls for a new
auxiliary gym, cafeteria, aerobics/wrestling room, weight
room, trainer's and athletic director's offices and
additional parking. Existing space at the high school would
be renovated to provide for a larger library/media center,
four new art rooms, two agricultural/science labs with
greenhouses, 13 classrooms, two small group instruction
areas and an expanded guidance office.
At the middle school, four new classrooms would be added
to the rear of the building in a two-story addition, which
would also include an elevator to make the school completely
handicapped accessible. Renovations would provide the middle
school with a larger health office, a new main office near
the front entrance for better security, seven additional
classrooms and a new driveway off North Prospect Street
exclusively for school busses to ease congestion in the
surrounding residential neighborhood.
Merluzzi said more space is needed to handle increasing
enrollment. The average class size at the high school is
about 25 students compared to the statewide average of 22,
Merluzzi said.
The plan also includes $6 million for a new athletic
facility on a 15-acre lot across Jackson Valley Road from
the high school. The facility would include a new football
field with a soft artificial turf playing surface, a new
track and four tennis courts. The turf field should last
between 10 to 15 years, Merluzzi said.
The state has committed $13,021,869 to the project,
leaving $29,862,299 to be funded by local property taxes.
Merluzzi said the district would repay the debt over 22
years. The district estimates it would receive an interest
rate of 4.6 percent on the bonds.
The impact on the average homeowner will vary between
the four member municipalities in the regional district.
Property owners in Oxford Township would pay a portion of
the bond's interest via the tuition they pay to send
students to the high school.
In Washington, the average homeowner, someone with a
home valued at $141,000, would pay an extra $100 annually in
property taxes if the referendum passes.
In Washington Township, the average homeowner, someone
with a home valued at $232,000, would pay an additional $157
in property taxes.
In Mansfield Township, the average homeowner, someone
with a home valued at $235,000, would pay an extra $158 in
property taxes.
In Franklin Township the average homeowner, someone with
a home valued at $301,000, would pay an extra $149 in
property taxes in the referendum passes.
Mansfield Township Mayor Cate Oakley said senior
citizens can't afford higher property taxes.
"You're killing us," Oakley said.
A man, who declined to give his name, spoke in favor of
the project and said poor schools have led more people to
leave Mansfield Township than high property taxes.
"I really think this is the first step of moving in the
right direction," the man said.
Another person asked if the athletic portion could be
approved by a separate vote.
The turf field will cost $300,000 more than a
traditional grass field. The school will save about $24,000
annually in maintenance costs with the turf field, Merluzzi
said. The turf field can also be used much more extensively
than a grass field and in poor weather conditions, Merluzzi
said.
The extra cost of the turf field would add an extra
$1.86 to the average homeowner's tax bill in Washington
Township, $2.59 in Mansfield Township, $3.31 in Franklin
Township, and $1.69 in Washington, Merluzzi said.
Merluzzi said the board decided to include everything
together because the three parts of the project -- high
school, middle school and athletic field -- impact each
other. He said the expansions at the middle and high schools
infringe upon the present athletic fields.
Reporter Bill Bray can be reached at 908-475-1596 or by
e-mail at wbray@express-times.com.
Copyright 2004
The Express-Times. Used with permission.
|