July 2, 2018-- Members of the Board of Education and Toms River Regional 乐鱼体育s administration met with representatives from the district鈥檚 engineering and consulting design firm last week to finalize a project list for its Rebuild Our 乐鱼体育s Initiative.
Led by Board Vice President and Building and Grounds Committee Chair Joe Nardini, the presented report includes security upgrades and air conditioning every classroom in each of the Toms River Regional 乐鱼体育 District鈥檚 eighteen (18) school buildings, and is the foundation of a January 2019 referendum.
The project list has been refined after at each school building this past spring, from which-- in combination with contact forums on the district鈥檚 -- the district acquired crucial feedback from families and Toms River residents.
What began as a projected $164-plus-million project not including some $30 million in 鈥渁dditions鈥� such as A/C in every classroom, playgrounds, security enhancements, and paving has been redeveloped into a $147-million report that includes each of those upgrades, which the community identified as essential.
Nearly $18 million in project upgrades will also be implemented at a net-zero cost thanks to the in the self-funding Energy Savings Improvement Program (ESIP) starting this month.
The district and board are finalizing a proposal which it will submit to the New Jersey Department of Education before the end of July.
鈥淭hrough our series of community meetings and the invaluable input we received from our families and residents, we鈥檝e been able to narrow the scope of the plan to focus on essential projects, and at the least possible impact to taxpayers,鈥� said Superintendent David Healy. 鈥淭his is an initiative that鈥檚 been years in the making.
鈥淭he final project list serves as an example of our district and school board listening to our community, acting on their concerns, and including them in the process throughout.鈥�
Maser Consulting was contracted by the board to conduct an in-depth district-wide facilities assessment. At the conclusion of the seven-month assessment, the board and district developed the Rebuilding Our 乐鱼体育s Initiative.
鈥淭he report we鈥檝e put together includes projects specific to each of our 18 schools and five out buildings, and we simply could not have cultivated this list without the feedback of parents and community members,鈥� said Board President Russell Corby. 鈥淲e will continue to engage our community and keep them informed in the weeks and months ahead.鈥�
The full proposal document outlining all projects will be posted publicly to the district鈥檚 prior to its official submission. The school board will be scheduling subsequent public meetings with details forthcoming.
The district will continue to regularly update its webpage on the initiative and referendum, and encourages the community to remain informed and to utilize features such as the tax calculator and FAQ sheet.