Superintendent's Update On Referendum Projects Planned In Long Valley

LONG VALLEY, NJ — An official update on the approved referendum projects in Long Valley is planned for next month's board of education meeting, according to Peter Turnamian, Superintendent of Schools at Washington Township Schools.

In March, voters in the Washington Township district approved the $28.8 million bond proposal to fund repairs and improvements for each of its schools.

Renovations at Old Farmers Road Elementary are anticipated to cost $2.3 million; Benedict A. Cucinella Elementary is estimated to cost $3.3 million; Flocktown Elementary is estimated to cost $4.8 million; Walter J. Kossman Elementary is estimated to cost $6.7 million; and Long Valley Middle School is estimated to cost $11.4 million.

Prior to the vote, representatives from the district stated that the state of New Jersey had agreed to fund 40 percent of the referendum.

If the vote failed, the state would not have contributed more than $11 million in school aid. Furthermore, whether or not the referendum passed, the district believes that the things on the project list would have needed to be handled at some point.

In terms of the referendum vote's public impact, the district claimed that it would have little effect on taxpayers. The existing debt service from the 2003 vote will be paid off in July 2023, and the new debt will replace the previous debt because the district has no other long-term debt.

The improvements, which vary from classroom renovations and extensions to boilers and electrical equipment, will be completed over two to three summers beginning in 2023, according to district officials.

According to Morris County election records, the vote was 908–793. Approximately 20 percent of ballots were cast by mail.

HVAC upgrades are one of the projects mentioned in the referendum, which parents recently spoke out about after a heat advisory was issued for much of the Garden State, with maximum "feels like" temperatures exceeding 103 degrees.

Despite that, the Washington Township district elected to remain open for full-day schedules throughout the week, which some parents criticized.

During the Sept. 12 board of education meeting, the administration emphasized that scenarios like that are one of the reasons why the district decided to hold the referendum vote earlier this year.

Most recently, the school district was in the process of accepting bids on certain referendum projects, with the hopes of getting the ball rolling as soon as possible.

Those projects include adding additional storage in the classrooms at Old Farmer's Road Elementary School and both buildings at Flocktown-Kossmann Elementary School. Bids will also be taken to add new windows in Kossmann and to renovate the public address system at the middle school.

"I plan to provide the community with a formal update about all of the referendum projects with expected timelines in October," Turnamian said.