Meeting Set to Review Watchung Hills Referendum Plans

After reviewing the myriad of maintenance and repair projects needed at Watchung Hills Regional High School, a panel of board members and hired professionals is recommending a possible $11.5 million bond referendum for the fall.

"All of the projects we're talking about are ones with recurring costs to repair," board member Gerry Binder, head of the Finance Committee, said at Tuesday's meeting. "They're a drain on resources every year."

The board set a special meeting for 7 p.m. Monday for in-depth reviews of the seven projects with the district's architect and other professionals, and staff members including Buildings and Grounds Supervisor Roland Juliano.  

Two factors seemed to top the board's considerations for the proposal at this time: the historically-low interest rates available and a pressing need to replace the steam heat system in the south building.

"It's 57 years old, this system—it ain't going to last much longer," Binder said. He said several major repairs have already been forced on the district, and inspectors say there's an increasing likelihood the system will completely fail in the coming two years.

And should it fail, board Vice President Harold Grossnickle said the school would not be able to hold classes.

Grossnickle estimated the bond would add about $5.50 to $7.50 per month to the typical property owner's tax bills with the projects currently planned:

• Replace steam heating system in south building;
• Replace roof on south building;
• Replace roof, north building;
• Repair and replace non functioning exhaust fans needed for proper heating and AC control;
• Repair two-story window wall;
• Redesign south cafeteria kitchen and serving area;
• Redesign north cafeteria serving area.

The board also discussed possible projects rebuilding the parking lots to eliminate an ongoing $30,000 annual repair expense, and said fire inspectors are requiring the installation of some kind of access for fire trucks to the school's south side.

After next week's meeting to review the projects, the board hopes to vote on whether to proceed at the May 6 meeting. If approved, the plans would be submitted to the Department of Education for approval; if OK'd by the state, the board could then move to have a referendum set for September.

The board members expressed concern about the timeline, and noted the difficulty of presenting the information to the public in such a short period of time, but recognized the urgency.

"The cost of everything is really eye-opening," board member Laura Mandell said. She added the list of projects is "comparable to the construction project we did a few years ago," in terms of its need for public information.

This article was edited to clarify the comments made by board member Laura Mandell.