SQUAN BOE DENIES MOTION TO PUT COMPLEX PLANS OUT TO REFERENDUM By Amanda Stone MANASQUAN — The Manasquan Board of Education shot down two motions this week that, if approved, would have brought the Warrior Athletic Complex to a public referendum, or would have halted the project until sending districts committed financially to the project that seeks to upgrade the school district’s athletic fields. Board member Jim Walsh made a motion during the board’s meeting Thursday seeking “approval to prepare plans as an alternative to the current project that would be considered to be placed as a referendum question to the public in the future.” The already approved estimated $2.5 million plan includes constructing a multi-purpose turf field and track at the high school, relocating baseball to the elementary school and purchasing new bleachers, among other items. The motion, which could only be voted on by members of the Manasquan Board of Education and not the sending districts as it only would effect Manasquan taxpayers, was ultimately voted down by the board. Board members Jack Campbell, Linda DiPalma, Thomas Pellegrino, board president Tom Bauer and board vice president Mike Shelton voted against the motion, while board members Patricia Walsh and Mr. Walsh voted in favor of the motion. Mr. Walsh and Mrs. Walsh are not related. Board member Katherine Verdi was absent from the meeting. Before casting his no vote, Mr. Pellegrino explained why he was not in favor of putting the project out to a public referendum. “Like many people, I don’t think the plan is perfect,”Mr. Pellegrino said. “I don’t think anybody thinks the plan is perfect. It is a compromised plan.” Calling his vote to approve the plan two months ago “probably the single hardest decision that I personally have ever had to make,” Mr. Pellegrino said the ongoing debate regarding the project has made him sick. “This has caused me a lot of personal anguish, I have a hard time showing up at these meetings, it personally sickens me — this whole debate it actually sickens me,” Mr. Pellegrino said. “I voted yes months ago for this, it is causing me a lot of grief in my family, it has caused me personal friendships, it is something that actually I wish would just go away.” Mr. Pellegrino continued, “I think people have taken this to an extreme that we should never see in this town. It has gotten way out of line.” Since approved in July, the field project has been a point of contention both in town and at board and council meetings. Mr. Pellegrino said he cast his vote in favor of the plan because, “at the end of the day, the fields are for the kids to play on. They deserve better fields, that is the bottom line.” Mr. Shelton noted that if the project did go out to a public referendum, and was approved through the referendum, that Manasquan taxpayers would then be responsible for paying for the entire project’s cost. Mr. Shelton said “in addition to the budget, anything bonded would be carried outside of your budget as an additional tax levy.” Following discussion on the first motion, Mrs. Walsh then made a motion of her own, seeking that “this board of education not move forward with a shovel in the ground until we have a commitment of financing from our sending districts.” The project is expected to be financed, in part, through equipment lease purchase agreements over the next five years. It remains unclear who will be paying for the project in addition to Manasquan taxpayers, though, as the school district is limited in what it can charge its sending districts through tuition. The board has suggested sending districts could voluntarily enter into a separate agreement, besides tuition, to help fund the project. However, that decision would have to be made by a majority of sending districts who have more than 10 percent of the average daily enrollment in the receiving district. Of the six sending districts, Belmar, Brielle and Spring Lake Heights have more than 10 percent of the average daily enrollment. Should two of those three sending districts agree to a separate agreement, all sending districts would have to enter into the separate agreement. No sending district has yet to agree to such a deal. However, the Manasquan School District has hosted several meetings with its sending districts to discuss the complex, among other topics. Board member Julia Barnes, who serves as the Brielle sending district representative on the Manasquan Board, said it was too early for sending districts to make such a commitment. “It would be premature at this point to make a motion that would require sending districts guaranteed support before we have begun our budget for the 2014-2015 school year,”Mrs. Barnes said. “It would not be appropriate to have a commitment from sending districts that have not started to put together their budgets for the following school year.” In response to Mrs. Walsh’s motion, Mrs. DiPalma said she “can’t imagine telling the students ‘no, we’re not going to move forward with the field because the sending districts don’t want to help us.’” Mrs. DiPalma continued, “I, as a taxpayer of Manasquan, and I pay a lot of taxes in Manasquan, Ihave no problem paying for the field.” Mr. Pellegrino said he did not think it was appropriate for the Manasquan School District to tell other districts how to spend their money, though said he agreed with the sentiment of Mrs. Walsh’s motion. Mr. Shelton said he did not believe Manasquan taxpayers would end up financing the entire project, noting he has attended several meetings with the sending districts when the issue has been discussed. “I hope we don’t pay for it all,”Mr. Shelton said. “Since I’ve been at a couple of those meetings, Idon’t think we are going to.” Board members Mr. Campbell, Mrs. DiPalma, Mr. Pellegrino, Mr. Bauer and Mr. Shelton voted against the motion, while board members Mrs. Walsh and Mr. Walsh voted in favor of the motion. For the full story, pick up next week’s edition of The Coast Star. — starnewsgroup
Posted on: Fri, 20 Sep 2013 16:51:08 +0000
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