Manalapan-Englishtown Schools To Host Groundbreaking For New Addition

MANALAPAN, NJ — The Manalapan-Englishtown Regional School District is set to host a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday for a new addition to Manalapan-Englishtown Middle School (MEMS).

The ceremony will take place at the middle school on Wednesday at 10 a.m., the district said in an online post.

Groundbreaking of the new addition comes after the district's $115.4 million bond referendum passed in November, which called for the construction of an addition to MEMS and the relocation of administrative offices on 54 Main Street.

According to district officials, maintaining the current administration building would require “extensive renovations and ongoing repairs, making it neither sustainable nor fiscally responsible.”

Once the relocation is complete, Superintendent Nicole Santora said the district’s intention has been to sell the current property and use the proceeds to either supplement the annual operating budget or pay down the long-term bonds.

During a meeting of the Englishtown Council on May 14, the council approved a resolution declaring the area of the administrative building as a “condemnation area in need of redevelopment,” according to the meeting minutes.

According to district officials, designating the property as a "condemnation area in need of redevelopment" could allow the borough to try and use eminent domain to acquire the property.

“We are in discussions with borough officials to ensure that, should the borough try to acquire the district’s property, the district would receive fair market value as compensation comparable to what could be expected from selling it through a public auction,” Santora said. “We are also working to ensure that the timeline does not disrupt district operations or result in additional costs to taxpayers, such as the cost to rent a facility and/or relocate multiple times.”

In addition to the new building addition at MEMS, the Manalapan-Englishtown Regional School District has also been implementing other improvement projects at their schools, such as HVAC upgrades, roofing replacements, and parking lot paving.

To see the original post from the district about the MEMS addition groundbreaking, you can click here.

Related

• Manalapan-Englishtown Schools To Relocate Administrative Offices
• Phase 1 Of Manalapan-Englishtown School Projects To Begin In Summer