Board of Ed. chooses site for new middle school

UPPER FREEHOLD — The Board of Education has settled on a 60-acre parcel on Walnford Road as the site for a new middle school.

The property is owned by Princeton Nurseries, which is located across from the Drews Farm subdivision. Residents will vote in a December referendum on whether or not the school should be built.

The board looked at 10 possible sites in the township and narrowed them to four, then to one, said board President Jeanette Bressi at the June 23 board meeting.

One property abutting the site had already been approved for housing but would have been too costly. The Walnford Road site meets all the board’s criteria, including the best price, said Bressi.

"This project is so fiscally responsible," she added. "We saw what happened in Millstone [when a school referendum was defeated]. We are presently the most fiscally responsible budget for the referendum."

Eminent domain procedures are unnecessary because the seller is willing, according to Bressi. Negotiations are ongoing to determine the purchase price, she said.

The site meets the state’s Smart Growth agenda by being within two miles of the village center of Allentown, she said.

Before the board’s announcement, a contingent of residents from the Four Seasons development on Ellisdale Road told the board they objected to one possible site on Ellisdale Road.

"If you take the Ellisdale site, you are condemning children to trailers," said resident Ray Murray. "It is not going to fly in our community. It is just not."

The board is "well aware" of the political implications of the decision, Bressi said. It was (therefore) unlikely to pick a site voters would not support in the referendum, she added.

The Ellisdale acreage is adjacent to the current school campus on Route 539, while the chosen site is 11/2 miles away.

There is money in the budget for improvements to Walnford Road near the school, said architect David Fraytak.

The board has been in communication with the Township Committee on the issue, Bressi said.

If the referendum passes, the anticipated opening for the middle school is September 2007.

The board’s decision on the school site was not unanimous. Allentown representative Robert Cheff voted against the proposal. When asked why he had voted no, Cheff declined to comment, saying that he was "content with the will of the board."

The board will hold a community outreach meeting on the land acquisition at 7 p.m. on July 19.

Bressi thanked board members for their work during what she called "an unbelievable year." "I hope people realize how lucky they are to have this Board of Education," she said.

The board also approved the appointment of Loretta Kachmar-Will as director of special services, at a prorated salary of $92,000, effective Sept. 1, 2004, to June 30, 2005. The board also hired Mark Guterl as the new vice principal for the middle school. Guterl will be paid a prorated salary of $82,000, also effective from the start of September to the end of June.

— Jane Meggitt