Voters OK $3.2M to finish H.S.

By AMY S. BOBROWSKI

WARREN -- Watchung Hills Regional High School officials rejoiced Tuesday night when they received word that the district's referendum passed."We're just so thrilled," interim Superintendent Frances Stromsland said. "We're so pleased the communities gave us such a nice show of support. We're so happy."

Board of Education President Barbara Vitarius agreed with Stromsland.

"We are delighted and very appreciative of all the efforts of the community leaders, parents and board members who joined in helping to pass this referendum in support of public education," she said in a statement. "It was truly a community effort."

By almost 1,000 votes, residents in the school's voting districts -- Warren, Watchung and Long Hills -- approved spending about $3.2 million more on the school's expansion and renovation project. Voters approved the referendum with 2,800 yes votes to 1,836 no votes.

Watchung residents approved the referendum 397 to 289 and had an 18.8 percent voter turnout. Warren residents also passed the referendum with 1,626 yes votes to 1,033 no votes. Voter turnout in Warren was at 27 percent. Long Hill residents approved the measure 777 to 514.

Residents in Green Brook, which has a send-receive agreement with the high school, did not vote during the election because the Green Brook school district is charged on a tuition basis for each student it sends to the district.

The board held a special meeting last night to approve the proper authorizations for the funds.

The board is expected to allocate $260,560 from its capital reserve and bond an additional $3 million in either long term bonds or short term notes. Voters had previously approved spending $41.9 million, but delays, cost-overruns, differing code interpretations and unforeseen obstacles have proven those funds may be insufficient to complete the project, district officials said.

At the polls in Watchung on Tuesdays voters had mixed feelings on the referendum and some voted to reject it to send a message to the board.

"I voted no simply because I don't have all the answers," said John Sherman. "I feel I should have approved it, but I had to make a statement."

"I voted no," added CJ Hwang. "I think the board needs to come clean about where the money went."

But other residents voted yes so as not to delay the project any longer.

"I voted yes because it makes no sense to have an incomplete high school," said Debbie Stuart, who has a son at the high school. "Yes, we would like to know why this happened, but it doesn't serve anyone to have an incomplete school."

Voters in the school's districts will see a tax increase of between $14 to $21 dollars per year for the next 20 years. District officials said that if the referendum fails, they would have been forced to stop work on the project once funds are exhausted, which would leave about 55,000 square feet of uninhabitable space. Additionally, Stromsland said that the district would have to rent trailers to house classes that were planned to be held in the new portions of the school.

With the go ahead to use funds, the district expects the project to be completed by June.

"We're thrilled we won," board member Robert Horowitz said. "But it's really the kids in the towns that won. This project is being done for them."

The project, which calls for 87,000 square feet of new space and 37,000 square feet of renovations, is about 75 percent complete, district officials estimated. Renovations to make the library a new state-of-the-art media center as well as renovations to an existing gymnasium, lavatories and classrooms in the south building are already complete.

Renovation work is still in progress on a special education suite and a nurses' suite. New facilities will hold 13 general education classrooms, five science labs, a computer lab, two fine arts labs, a music wing with a 1,000-seat theater, a television suite and stage craft area, an auxiliary rubber-floored gym, administrative offices, a new main entrance and new hallways. These facilities will be located in a central area linking the school's two existing buildings.

The need for the project comes from a growing student population, school officials said. Principal Thomas DiGanci noted that by the year 2010 the district will enroll about 2,500 students. There are about 1,940 students currently enrolled at the high school.

Last week, the Board of Education voted to authorize its law firm to finalize a settlement with former Superintendent Gary Reece. The board voted in May not to renew Reece's contract and immediately remove him from office, but to continue to pay his salary until his contract expires in June. As a result of the investigation, Reece, through his legal council, has agreed to formally tender his resignation effective March 15. Reece's salary is $172,000 per year for his three-year contract. This agreement could ultimately mean $50,000 of his salary will not have to be paid to him.

The law firm, Schenck, Price, Smith & King, is continuing with an investigation of Warren Township Building Sub-code Official Jeffery Heiss, EIC Inspection Agency of Jersey City and others involved in the management of the construction project. The district believes these entities may have mismanaged the project. All funds recouped as a result of the investigation will be used to pay down bonds on the construction project, Business Administrator Kersti Kolu said.