What Do You Do With an Abandoned School?

From the Somerville NJ Courier News.

Good question. Who has the answer? Is Reiter an "historical" building with all the implications thereof or a run down public use building that should be removed?

Plus, the local people want to have a "referendum". They should call the accounting emporium on Bridge Street (also known as the Emperor's main school board office) to get tips on how to backtrack on pledges of referendum running...the Emperor knows them all.

Some calling for additional study before Somerville school buildings demolished

By MARTIN C. BRICKETTO • Staff Writer • December 29, 2008

SOMERVILLE —Some are calling for additional study before two old school buildings on High Street are demolished to make way for a field for students and additional parking.

District officials say the plans have been approved by voters, would help with current district needs and remove structures in poor condition from their facilities portfolio.

Historian Jessie Havens has recommended that the school board perform a cost-benefit analysis before moving forward with the plans, raising the possibility that some entity would want to buy the buildings and refurbish them because of their prime location near West Main Street.

Fellow advocate Thomas Buckingham suggested that a referendum on the buildings be put before the public for a vote and that their demolition be postponed until after June.

"The building was built and paid for by the residents of Somerville and represents a significant community asset," Buckingham said in a presentation to the board. "To find or build equivalent space in the Somerville area would cost many times the projected cost of rehabilitating this building."

BOARD VOTE: The board voted to solicit bids to demolish the structures during a Dec. 16 meeting, over objections from Havens and Buckingham. The demolition of the buildings was part of two public questions that voters approved in 1998 and 2004, according to Board of Education Board President Dennis Garot, who added that the structures are unfit for educational uses.

"I believe that it's not prudent to waste the taxpayers' dollars asking them a question which they have already said yes to twice," Garot said.

Garot said the district is a creature of statute, and since the voters approved the public questions, demolishing the buildings has become a mandate. Garot also said demolishing the buildings would provide the district with the opportunity to get them "off of the taxpayers' backs."

"We can go from five buildings to three," Garot said.

Garot also said that students now playing on a "concrete island" would be able to enjoy an all-purpose playing field because of the plans.

Garot said heat, water and electricity have been cut from the buildings.

"It's fiscally irresponsible to proceed with something which is potentially worth millions of dollars and not double check that it has no value," Havens said, arguing research on the decision is old.

DONE DEALS: Havens also noted that the public questions authorizing demolition were package deals. The 2004 question, for example, included about $30 million in improvements to Van Derveer Elementary School, Somerville Middle School and Somerville High School.

"If another referendum were held, demolition of the old elementary schools would be a stand-alone issue," Havens said in a presentation to the board. "Would it pass? Or did voters approve something they did not want in order to get what they considered worthwhile?"

Garot said the issue was first included in the 1998 public question and clearly communicated during the run-up to the 2004 public question.

"It was absolutely a part of our video and board presentations that those were still on track to be taken down and parking and a ball field created," Garot said.

Havens and Buckingham are also calling for any architectural plans, engineering studies and cost estimates of the building, information Havens said could help in the search for another user.