Wednesday, December 12, 2001
By DEENA YELLIN
Staff Writer
NORTHVALE -- Residents voted overwhelmingly Tuesday in favor of a $4.8 million bond proposal that will bring sweeping changes to the district's elementary schools.
The 25-year bond deal will require a tax increase of $145 annually for a house assessed at the borough average of $216,000. State grants will fund $1.7 million of a project that will cost $6.6 million in total, leaving local taxpayers to foot the majority of the bill.
The measure was approved 462-264.
The project at the adjacent Thomas Jefferson (Grades K-3) and Nathan Hale (Grades 4-8) schools is necessary because the schools have not been renovated since they were built in the 1960s, said district officials. The schools also need additional space to accommodate an increase in student enrollment over the past decade, they said.
The plan calls for a new, larger gym, six new classrooms, two music rooms, an art room, and computer and science labs. The buildings will also be updated with energy-efficient windows, a new boiler, tiles, and lighting. An enclosed corridor will be constructed between the two schools so that students will no longer have to go outside to get to the other building.
Daniel Davis, principal of the two schools, said he was thrilled by the outcome.
"I'm very excited. We're just beginning a very long project but ultimately, we will have a wonderful school environment for years to come," he said, adding that the project would probably take three years to complete.
Michael Mados, business manager for the Board of Education, said that the 2-1 margin was "a mandate for providing the best education and facilities for the future leaders of our community."
Staff Writer Deena Yellin's e-mail address is yellin@northjersey.com