Letter to the Editor: 'Madison is Renovating School Auditorium. We Should Too.'

This latest Letter to the Editor was submitted to Chatham Patch from Lauren Migliozzi, Chatham resident

Madison is Renovating Their School Auditorium. We Should Too.

After reading about our neighboring town of Madison, NJ’s soon to be presented plan for “what officials say is a much-needed renovation” of the Madison High School auditorium, I am more convinced than ever that on Tuesday, April 21 Chatham taxpayers should vote “NO” on Question 2. Specifically we should vote “NO” because the referendum includes approximately $15 million dollars to build a new Performing Arts Center in the CMS oval together with converting the current CMS auditorium to house school district administrative offices and only 3 classrooms.

Arguments that have been made in favor of the plan include: “Our CMS auditorium is old and out of date”; “The auditorium does not have enough seats for all of our students”; “This plan gives us needed classrooms at CMS”. “It is time we focus on the performing arts”.

Consider these interesting facts about the Madison High Auditorium versus the Chatham Middle School Auditorium.

- Built in 1956, Madison High’s auditorium is older than both the CMS or CHS auditoriums. It has 540 seats for a current student population of 790 students. So, it only seats 68% of the student population. And yet, Madison is choosing to renovate, rather than build new and will spend less than $700,000 on the project with some of the funds coming from private donors.

- Chatham Middle School’s auditorium was built in 1958 and has 830 seats for a total current student population of 993 students. That is enough seats for 84% of our Middle School student population. The proposed PAC, with approximately 975 seats, would still not have enough seats to accommodate the entire student population of either CMS or CHS. And this new PAC would cost Chatham taxpayers approximately $11 million plus an additional $4 million to repurpose the current CMS auditorium. So why not just renovate? Additionally, as a parent, for safety reasons I know I would never want the entire student population convened in one auditorium. So, why not just renovate our existing auditorium?

The referendum also includes $2.8 million to renovate the CHS/LAF auditorium space. I agree with those renovations but again, why not just revise the referendum to also spend $2.8 million to renovate the CMS auditorium rather than build new?

Surely spending that money to renovate the current CMS auditorium demonstrates just as solid a commitment to the performing arts as building a new facility.

Finally, the current plan only adds 3 classrooms at CMS. Spending $15 million to build a PAC and to repurpose the current auditorium to gain only 3 classrooms and school district administrative offices is a poor use of taxpayer dollars and limits future options for school/education related improvements. Chatham taxpayers have always demonstrated support and generosity towards our schools however, the prospect of building a costly new structure when other viable options exist is pushing many beyond their limits.

That is why I am voting “NO” on Tuesday, April 21 for Question 2 and I urge all of Chatham to do the same. Voting “NO” simply asks the BOE to go back and deliver a new plan that we can all rally behind.

Lauren Migliozzi

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