Dreamer

[admin]

I will start by stirring it up a little. I know we dealt with this on the last site, but I am not convinced it is a bad idea.

I am talking about using the former police station on Bennet and Hudson as a school. It is an old building that would be nice to keep going because of it's history.

Can we find sponsors to help fund it? How about finding volunteers to help with the labor? The trade schools, local organizations, local contractors etc. could help.

The point is to think outside the box. Councilman Marc Levine had come up with the idea of bike safety initiative. Part of that was to add some outreach to all parts of our town. I would say that getting all of our people together to rehabilitate a school would be a real positive for our town.

Any thoughts?

[stffgpr2003]

Brian:

I share your passion for that old building, but after reading all the engineering reports I fear that trying to retrofit it back into a school facility may be too costly and well beyond the technical expertise of even the most ambitious volunteers, who might be willing to take a shot at it.

Furthermore, I am also not sure that after polling the neighbors in the area, they would prefer the idea of returning a busy school to that site as opposed to some lighter use.

Thank you for appreciating our efforts to reach out to other communities in the Borough through Bicycle Safety education, but I think this one (Police Station) will take a much greater effort than anything that has ever been attempted here before. I am not saying it can't be done, but is it worth the cost of doing this versus bringing in a new owner to strengthen and preserve the building for a lighter use and tax ratable?

Certainly, I encourage you to present your thoughts to the Mayor and Council at a public meeting. I'm only offering my own impressions on this. You call this a dream. Feel free to share it with others and find out if it possibly could become a reality.

By the way, I was just appointed as liason to the Historic Preservation Committee, taking Kevin Coyne's place. The Old Police Station may come up in this forum and will surely be on future agendas of the Planning Board, where I also sit. So, I guess I'm right in the thicke of this thing through to its conclusion. Thanks.

Marc L.

[admin]

Marc, I have to be very honest. I started this thread without having seen the building. I realize that many obstacles have to be considered. Things like ADA compliance, lead and asbestos removal, and structural integrity.

I put this idea out there to get people thinking. I realize that an idea like this is an uphill battle. Part of my motivation is that I believe our greatest asset for schools is not the almighty tax dollar, but the mind and heart of our residents.

I have come out against the referendum that has failed. I have to be honest about that. I did that not as a reflection of the Boro schools, but what I think of the problems that start far above the municipal level. I know that our schools are good ones, with many very dedicated people serving the town children. I do recognize that schools are the number one asset to any town.

As far as approaching the Council and Mayor, I am not the one to do it. I am just a big mouth with a lot of opinions. I would rather have the right people see these ideas. I consider these proposals to be radical, but in a positive way. Through out our state, schools are having problems, including the way they are funded. I would love to see our town take an unorthodox approach and show the rest of our state some real spirit.

Again, on this issue I realize that I am more dreamer and idealist, than a realist.

Marc, you mentioned that you are on the historical board. I really hope that you will keep us updated with info on this site. I really look at the historical value of this town as an asset, and fully support efforts that highlight and preserve the historical charm of this town.

Brian

[Marc LeVine]

Since you are talking "bigger picture" in the school funding arena, we should all be pushing to realize more education revenue from business taxes. I have always believed that aside from creating more proud moms and dads of educated children; and in addition to developing more and better social functioning people, who can balance their checkbooks and stand on their own two feet; the business community may profit the most from having a skilled workforce. They should contribute more to education.

Think of all the stresses, strains and costs business people deal with regarding the hiring of top notch employees. In our global economy, many businesses are forced to go overseas to hire better trained employees (true, also cheaper employees). However, India and China have a much better reputation for producing people, better at math and science, for example.

Companies spend a fortune on recruitment advertising in fields where tremendous skill shortages exist - such as accounting. Newsprint and Internet ads are very pricey, as is using headhunters to find the best employees. Often jobs remain open for months, as people are endlessly sought, resulting in lost productivity, as well as a strain on existing employees, who must cover for the missing employee.

We really need to better understand how business tax dollars are spent and redirect some of it to education. Quite frankly, business people would be less upset about paying higher taxes if they were getting a return on their investment. Also, as a result of their contributions via taxes, they might also enjoy more input into our schools regarding quality of education and future hiring trends.

[admin]

Marc said:

We really need to better understand how business tax dollars are spent and redirect some of it to education. Quite frankly, business people would be less upset about paying higher taxes if they were getting a return on their investment. Also, as a result of their contributions via taxes, they might also enjoy more input into our schools regarding quality of education and future hiring trends.

I like that idea. Having the business become directly involved could provide a much needed direction for students

[leelye]

I don't see why the bd of education doesn't save the taxpayers at least $5 1/2 million from their budget by buying the former Broad Street School for $2 million and use it for all the necessary space and staff they seem to be lacking. I don't think there are any engineering problems with that facility. On top of which, if we charged an in town tuition to all out of state residents (like the colleges do for non state residents) we'd be ahead of the game !! Just my opinion

[Marc LeVine]

LeeLee!

I'm not sure they have the funds to buy anything right now. They considered buying a small house near the Park Avenue School to use for office space (to create more learning space within the school building, itself). It certainly made sense, as this house is right in their front yard. The cost of the purchase was to be $500,000. Unfortunately, that went down along with the defeated budget.

Adding remote locations, like the Broad Street School, to the local school system may force requests for more administration. You can be sure that whatever may be added, that is "off campus," will result in many redundancies in staffing and services. For example, The Board of Ed may feel the need for another Assistant Principal to keep an eye on things during school hours.

I'm not sure what other key and suport roles they may ask to fill at an off-site location, but I am sure that this and similar considerations can lead to additional costs for us all - they almost have to.

Consolidation has always been a better answer than decentralization. However, initial construction and startup costs to expand for consolidation are higher. The issue then, amounts to finding the savings that should be associated with consolidation.

The real answer for our schools still lies in Trenton (and Washington). If the politicians don't find more and better ways to reduce mandates and adequately fund education, outside of property taxes, we are all reduced to begging our local schools to reuse paperclips instead of our lawmakers to legislate necessary change.

Marc L.