School Expansion Plans, New Pool Considered

The South Orange - Maplewood Board of Education (BOE) discussed options for its long-range capital plan on Monday night, which include the possibility of constructing a new $8-12 million aquatic and fitness center at Columbia High School (CHS) to replace its aging pool.

Business adminstrator Cheryl Schneider presented the plan at a public forum that preceded the regular BOE meeting. Representatives from EI Associates, the architectural firm that drafted the district's strategic development plan, gave details of options for the CHS expansion.

The plan can be found on the district website.

The district has been working to identify critical capital projects throughout the district since early 2011, and renewing CHS buildings and grounds is a priority. The construction of a new pool would also free up additional space to become flexible, multipurpose classrooms as enrollment is projected to rise, the district has said.

An expansion plan would also create "academic clusters," in which academic departments -- such as a STEM center -- would be located near each other to further collaboration and sharing of resources. 

The district will need to bond for capital improvements in 2014, said Schneider, who said a total of $90 million worth of projects have been identified that might be needed over the next 15-20 years to keep pace with the projected increase in student enrollment.

CHS currently has a capacity for 1,910 students. By reconfiguring and repurposing some classroom space, the school could house 2,100 students (which is projected by 2017.) 

The CHS pool is currently closed for repairs, forcing the swim team to practice elsewhere. The potential annual revenue stream for a new pool facility is roughly $200,000-250,000, Schneider said. The South Mountain YMCA has said it would be interested in using a pool facility but not in helping with building costs.

EI representative Tom Andrasz laid out the following options:

• Option 1: eliminate current pool and repurpose it. This would allow for a gain in swing space and classroom space. Cost: just under $6 million.
• Option 2: Administration Building repurposing. Reconfigure office space to classroom space. Cost: $10 million. The district would still have to figure out what to do with the existing pool. 
• Option 3: New Pool and Fitness Center addition. Construct an 18,000 square foot addition with a six-land pool. Cost: $12.5 million, plus the $6 million from Option 1 (total $18.5 million) to repurpose the existing pool into classroom and swing space. 
• Option 4: Smaller addition with new pool. This would build a 12,000 square foot addition with a new pool (but no fitness center) and would annex some of Ritzer Field. Cost: $8 million plus $6 million from Option 1 (total $14 million).
• Option 5: Classroom addition. Construct 10 new classrooms in a two-story addition to the building's "C" wing. Cost: $11.4 million.

Maplewood Deputy Mayor Kathleen Leventhal asked about the tax impact of the various scenarios. Schneider said a quick "back of the envelope" calculation was an extra $10 per year for the average household for the $6 million option and $25 more for a $12 million project.

"What is the proper balance between maintaining an excellent education and facilities and not taxing people out of their communities?" asked Maplewood Mayor Vic DeLuca. 

Still, DeLuca said the words he feared hearing the most were that the district's educational facilities were "tired." He continued, "When people hear that, they are not going to be spending money to buy here and pay taxes."

Board member Lynne Crawford asked how much it would cost to build a new school. The EI associate said it would cost approximately $350 per square foot. (CHS is 350,000 square feet).

Several people spoke in support of rebuilding the pool, including David Cutler, a captain of the CHS swim team, and coach Maggie Singler. Currently, 30% of CHS freshman do not know how to swim, a statistic BOE member Bill Gaudelli called "alarming."

Walter Fields said the district should look at the possibility of building a new gym and expanding other athletic facilities, to benefit sports such as basketball and track and field.

Board president Beth Daugherty said the BOE will solicit more community input before it has to decide on an option in November.