Letter to the Editor: Save the Valley Road School

To the Editor, 

If the parties who are looking at the Valley Road School site were willing to focus on what they NEED rather than what they WANT (and the taxpayers clearly can’t afford) then the historic building can be saved – a win-win for all parties and the local taxpayer. Here are the numbers:

1. Corner House currently has 3,000 square feet of useable space but it wants a new 10,000 square feet building. Does it really need to expand by over 300%?

2. The Rescue Squad wants to expand from a reported 4,500 square feet to 20,000 square feet, 400% more space than the Squad has now. Does it really need all of that space? What about using the Township Garage site? The Hook and Ladder site?

3. Does the Fire Department really need a fire museum? The Fire Department Study suggests the town needs four basic pieces of equipment and the current Witherspoon Street location has four bays. Can’t the Fire Department build extra bunk space and an extra training room on a second floor above the current building?

Given the recent trauma of revaluation and an abysmal economy we need to try harder.

What is missing is a public dialog among all the interested parties with a view towards adapting and improving the historic portion of the Valley Road School.

Richard C. Woodbridge

Princeton Township