Bus Depot Won't Go Behind Moorestown Upper Elementary School

MOORESTOWN, NJ — The proposal to bring the Moorestown School District's bus lot to the back of Moorestown Upper Elementary School has been scrapped. But officials are still determining where it will go as part of the district's bond referendum.

District officials still want to find a new location for the bus depot, which is currently in a lot outside of Moorestown High School. But initial plans to develop a fenced lot in the field behind the UES sparked an outcry from neighbors.

Relocating the bus depot has been a component of the district's planned bond referendum, which has been delayed until at least September. In its current spot, the bus depot would interfere with another referendum plan: adding instructional space to the high school.

But over the last few months, residents near UES expressed concerns about potential impacts on children's health, neighborhood traffic and eliminating a portion of UES's rear field.

At Tuesday's school board meeting, Superintendent Dr. Courtney McNeely confirmed the bus lot will not go behind UES. But now the district is seeking another location for the bus depot.

"We can't add instructional space to the campus in any other way," McNeely said.

Under the district's current vision, a successful referendum would reduce class sizes and upgrade infrastructure at each school. William Allen Middle School's building would expand, allowing the Grades 7-8 school to take in sixth graders. Moorestown Upper Elementary School, in turn, would accommodate Grades 3-5.

The four lower elementary schools, which have faced some of the district's greatest overcrowding issues, would go from PreK-3 to PreK-2.

Originally, the district intended to hold the referendum in March. But with the state only determining how much it would fund each proposed project later than expected, that timeline was pushed back.

The district now hopes to hold the referendum in September, which buys it some time to find a new spot for the bus depot. But that hasn't been easy.

Municipal officials have looked into township-owned properties for potential solutions. But most of the township's undeveloped spaces wouldn't be possible, says Mayor Quinton Law.

"While the township owns several undeveloped properties, many were acquired as dedicated open space with financial contributions from the state Green Acres program, which prohibits their use for a bus depot," Law wrote in South Jersey Media. "This significantly limits our available options."

At Tuesday's school board meeting, several residents expressed relief that the bus depot won't go behind UES.

"I'm looking forward to, like I’ve said from the start, being a supporter of the schools and hoping we have a referendum that can pass in Moorestown," said Brandon Pugh, a former board member who lives near the school.