>Go ahead and split the fields from the additions, upgrades and renovations. Cost for the fields is just under $5 million bucks. The State of NJ has agreed to pay $2.1 million specifically for the field upgrades. So for that portion of the project we are getting 42% of it paid for by the State and end up with up to par facilities that will require far less maintenance. My guess is when intelligent people look at the math and see they are getting significant upgrades to embarassingly bad facilities for less than 60 cents on the dollar they will find that attractive. Combine that with the sheer numbers of students, both boys and girls involved in athletics at RHS as well as the reality that one of the things that has been demonstrated time and time again in this town is that the sports groups raise significant amounts of money to support the athletic programs and they get things done. So my money says that part would get passed if it was on its own.
There is going to be one shot to get the Bond issue done. Funding at the state level is going to get worse not better. If we miss this we’re screwed. I know it is a lot of money, in fact it is a ridiculous amount of money. But, the reality is we have facilities that are old and getting older. We’ve had BOE after BOE who defered maintenance and capital projects and when the funding formula in Trenton changed (capping yearly budget increases) along with the Democratically controlled government mandating program after program with no funding we got caught in the perfect storm.
I was at back to school night last night also. There are definitely areas of that HS that aren’t perfect. Next time you see Jack Lorenz ask him about his maintenance and repair budget. Ask him about how long it takes to get someone over to fix something. Ask him about the broken cable in Gym I where the backboard is chained to the roof support so it doesn’t come down and kill someone. Ask him about having running water in the ceilings and walls before the repairs on the roof were started. Ask him what it is like to try and keep a building that size, that old, and filled with that many kids all day long clean and neat with a underpaid transient custodial and maintenance staff. It is a big old building and it costs money to upgrade and repair it. It is that simple.
The HS “Stadium” (what a joke) gets used maybe a dozen times a year between football and lacrosse. The track team doesn’t even have home track meets because the track is so substandard. The Ridgewood Relays (one of the top running events in the spring) are run at Ramsey HS!!!!! Think about that for a second. Our track teams host their signature event at Ramsey HS. Does Ramsey play their football games at Ridgewood? No, they have a beautiful field and track, as does; Lodi, Hasbrouck Heights and Lyndhurst, All towns we aspire to be. Our kids deserve the same.
Go to a meeting and listen to Dan and some of the BOE members outline the plans. Ask questions and learn. You may still not be in favor of it but at least you will understand it. Do not just look at $48 Million dollars (Which is really more like $35 million when the state money gets credited) and say it is too much money. It is a lot of money, no doubt about it, but it is money that is needed and it gets a lot of things fixed and upgraded, many of them things that should have been done gradually a long time ago but weren’t.
