School Board, Twp. Moving Forward on Bus Facility

The Washington Township Board of Education, in conjunction with the Township Committee, is moving closer toward erecting a new bus maintenance facility, according to members of the board. 

The two sides are expected to meet on Thursday, Sept. 15 to continue discussions, and perhaps even agree to enter the next phase of the project, which was included in the school district’s goal to expand its participation in shared services during the 2011-12 school year.

“We expect to have our transportation coordinator and DPW Superintendent Scott Frech at the meeting,” said district superintendent Jeff Mohre. “We feel there’s a lot of momentum, and we want to get it done. We feel that the climate is right to do that.

“It’s not a done deal by any stretch, but talks are continuing,” added Mohre.

Mohre and other district representatives, including District Business Administrator Liz George, stressed that measures are being taken to reduce the cost of the facility. Such measures include having the district pay the township to have the facility constructed, as opposed to having the New Jersey Department of Education fund the project.

Since the proposed site is very close to the township’s existing Department of Public Works site on Rock Road, the cost of having the facility constructed would be considerably less than seeking another site for the facility. This is, in large part, because water and electricity are already available on the property.

“It would definitely reduce costs, because the utilities are already on-site,” said George.

Although the K-8 district is eager to have the new bus facility constructed, Mohre drove home the point that, as of now, there is no current timeline for its completion, and that the district and township are merely just in the talking stages.

“We’re trying to get a philosophical agreement first, and then we’ll go from there,” said Mohre.