Hopewell News

During an impassioned work session involving the Hopewell City Council and School Board, nearly all funding for the renovation of Hopewell High School, $22.5 million out of $25 million, was identified.
The current high school is over 40 years old and has not had any renovation work done in its entire history beyond a recent replacement of its roof. Over the summer, work that including replacement of some sewage pipes aided in keeping the school from being unfit for academic purposes. To ensure compliance with state regulations and stop any major systems in the building from completely breaking down, $25 million in work needs to be done. This includes a total replacement of the HVAC system and electrical system.
After the School Board unveiled the estimated cost for the project, City Council asked if the project could be pared down and ultimately agreed, through a resolution last year that about $20 million would be allocated for the project. After further consulting with architects, the project was winnowed down further by removing six items from the project. Although they are not integral to the building being operational, school officials have said they are integral to safety, future planning and quality of facilities.
The six items that could be removed are:
� Renovation and expansion of the gymnasium. Currently, there are not adequate locker room facilities, bathrooms or training-related areas. The estimated cost is $1.4 million.
� Creation of new tennis courts. Temporary classrooms are housed on the site of the school�s tennis courts. Once the temporary classrooms are removed, the area is proposed to be paved (see next bulleted item). The estimated cost is $500,000.
� Creation of a new bus loop. The current situation leads to crossing traffic and other safety concerns and has led to pedestrians being hit, according to school officials. This portion would include pavement at the site of the former tennis courts. The estimated cost is $488,000.
� Three additional classrooms. Due in part to the expansion of Fort Lee, at least 100 more students will be attending the high school. The classrooms will allow for space for 75-100 more students. The estimated cost is $244,000.
� Dry goods storage for the kitchen. These items are not stored in a central location. The estimated cost is $83,000.
� Fence at the front of the school. The fence will ensure that pedestrians cross Mesa Drive at marked crosswalks. There has been at least one person, according to school officials, who has been hit while not crossing at an appropriate location. The estimated cost is $31,000.
With these reductions, the estimated cost of the renovation project could be reduced to $22.5 million but school and city officials agreed there were valid reasons to try to find funding to do the entire project. The major problem is the current weak economy, which is straining residents and a history of reducing taxes in the city to the point where there is no true reserve to fund projects such as this in part.
�We�re at the point that we�re maxed out,� said Ward 5 Councilor K. Wayne Walton.
An option is to delay those six segments to a point where additional funding is available but it is likely that they will cost more than $2.5 million at that time, said Assistant Superintendent S. Ray Watson. The School Board will ask the selected bidder if it will be willing to have a grace period in which the entire project could proceed if all funding is found.
Given the extreme circumstances of the national and state economy, Ward 1 Council Christina Luman-Bailey suggested waiting until concrete budget numbers from the General Assembly were made before agreeing to the possibility of funding the full project. School Board Chairman Avon Miles said the school system did not have the time to wait as it had until March 12 to make a decision to stay in guidelines for some of the funding streams.
City Manager Dr. Edwin Daley said it was possible for the city to fund the project to up to $22.5 million though the resolution already in place, which includes raising the city tax rate three cents every two years. In the late 1980s, when replacement and renovation of all of the city schools except for the high school were a high priority, the city tax rate was increased to $1.28. It has since been reduced to 96 cents.
School Board members estimated that an additional penny added to the increased tax rate would be enough to cover the difference to fund the project fully. School Board Member Ronald Caricofe said since City Council and residents agreed to a tax increase at that time, it could be done again.
�Sometimes, you just have to be aggressive and do what you know in your heart needs to be done,� he said. �With a small increase, we can do this. And we owe it to our young people. We got to be bold to do that.�
Council members, such as Mayor Brenda Pelham, voiced discomfort in sending taxes any higher.
�We have really taxed the people a lot,� she said.
Bailey said that any additional funding beyond the $22.5 million should go toward other items, such as retaining teacher positions, if state budget reduction takes larger than anticipated chunks out of the budget.
Ward 3 Councilor Ken Emerson said he believes the economy will bounce back and it would be wise to wait to that point to finish the project.
�I don�t want to raise taxes,� he said.
Ward 5 Councilor K. Wayne Walton suggested bringing a tax referendum to citizens to see if they would be willing to pay more money to renovate the high school. City Attorney Thomas Lacheney said the current city charter does not allow for a referendum on tax rates and leaves that authority up to City Council. It would be nearly impossible for a charter change, which must be approved by the General Assembly, to allow for a referendum on the high school project in ample time, he said.
Ward 2 Councilor the Rev. Curtis Harris Sr., who is among the city council members up for reelection, said he would be in favor of increased tax rate to complete the project all at once. He fears that delaying the project for additional funding would lead to those projects being deferred for years, if not decades.
�I don�t want our only high school to be an unfinished project,� he said. �Even if I have to lose the election, I feel so strongly for the needs of our city.�