... about the new school ...
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Will it be a "green"
school? Is it more expensive to build a school with environmental
elements like solar panels than to build a regular school?
 Since
the idea of building a new school first came up, the intention
has always been to build a school with as many "green" elements
in it as affordable. Some of those elements can add to the
initial building cost but save in operations costs later;
others are not necessarily more expensive. When these elements
are figured into the original design of a building they
are less costly than if they're added later. The approved
plan calls for the installation of solar panels and a geothermal
heating system. The classrooms will be designed to take
maximum advantage of light and ventilation, and green space
for a garden (as well as a playground and an athletics field)
has been included in the landscape plan.
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How many students will the
building accommodate and how will class sizes in the district
be affected?
The
building will accommodate approximately 550 students. The
district will gain about 300 seats after the school is built
and the Renaissance students vacate our leased space at
Immaculate Conception and relocate to the Rand building.
Although this may not seem like a big gain, we will be able
to distribute our total school population more advantageously
after the new school is built. The reason is because we
are able to design this school according to what our district
needs - for example, more special education facilities and
more space for kindergarten classes, which the new school
will provide.
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What impact will there be
on parking and traffic in the neighborhood?
The
design that was finally approved by the district last month
was the best of the many designs the architects developed
in terms of traffic and consideration for the neighborhood.
The building will now face north, away from traffic and
businesses on Fulton Street. This will reduce distractions
to the students during their school day, and allow fewer
disruptions to neighbors. There will be one-way access through
the school site to Bloomfield Avenue to help streamline
traffic, and a bus drop-off area that is also big enough
to accommodate parents' vehicles. Many of our existing schools
don't have drop-off areas or secondary street access as
the new school will. In our discussions with the architects,
traffic considerations were a priority from the beginning.
There will also be a 96-space parking lot for faculty and
visitors.
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Will only Rand students attend?
They
will mostly be Rand students, but since the new school will
accommodate more children than the Rand building can, a
number of students may have the opportunity to transfer
from other schools. The district's policy on parental freedom
of choice will still apply.
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Will the district have
to renovate the Rand building to accommodate middle school
(Renaissance) students? What would the cost of this be?
Some
renovation will be done at Rand though it will not be extensive.
The cost is yet to be determined.
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Why did the construction costs
for the new building rise so much in just a few years?
Primarily
because of rising costs in materials and fuel. But the original
estimated cost of the project, $20 million or even lower,
did not address all of the elements community members have
repeatedly requested. Also, that estimate was arrived at
very early on in the process, before architects had been
hired or community preferences weighed in. The approved
design features such elements as a combined gymnasium and
stage that's big enough to accommodate all-school assemblies,
a garden, reading areas and a media center. Many other amenities
have been eliminated from this design.
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What does the approved design
consist of?
It
will be an L-shaped, 2-story building measuring approximately
82,650 square feet, facing onto Washington Street. It will
contain a cafeteria, combined gym and assembly room, a media
center, an art room, a music room, special education classrooms,
small group instruction rooms, and kindergarten-through
fifth-grade classrooms. Outside there will be a small play
area for younger children, an athletic field, a garden,
a parking lot and the bus drop-off area.
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What was taken out of the existing
design?
The
previous designs were all 3-story buildings and included
a swimming pool and therapy pool, a mezzanine with a concession
area, a World Language room, magnet and ESL rooms, additional
special education rooms, toilets in first-grade classrooms,
and workspace for Central Office administrators.
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How much will the state reimburse
the district for the construction?
Right
now it's anticipated that the state will reimburse 10% of
the total construction cost, or approximately $4 million.
But that remains to be determined. The plans are now in
Trenton pending approval.
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What happened to the idea of
the swimming pool and community center?
Although
many residents and board members were very much in favor
of building a school with a swimming pool that could also
serve as a community center, the state does not provide
reimbursement for such projects. The cost of a school with
a swimming pool, therapy pool and concession stand, etc.,
as originally conceived, would be prohibitive.
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Why is the district building a
new school rather than putting additions on its existing schools?
When
the idea of building a new school was first proposed several
years ago, residents endorsed it overwhelmingly, and funds
were appropriated for construction by the township. The
plan to move forward with the new school has had continuous
public support. Because the Board of Education already owns
the existing schools, it will be possible to put additions
on them at any time. But the opportunity to build a new
school in a town that is undergoing rapid redevelopment
may not come again for a long time. The district has bought
the land, the design is complete and now awaiting approval
in Trenton, the community has weighed in throughout the
process, and it's time to build the school.
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When will demolition begin and
when is the building expected to be completed?
Demolition
is expected to begin when the New Jersey Department of Education
approves the plans. That could be as early as this fall.
The project is slated for completion in 2008.
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