Referendum On Improvements to GEHR Schools Up For Vote Dec. 13

Residents whose children go to one of the three high schools within the Greater Egg Regional School District will go to the polls Dec. 13 to vote on a referendum.

The Greater Egg Regional High School Board of Education approved going out to referendum at its Monday meeting at Oakcrest High School.

Residents will be asked to vote in favor or against renovations and/or repairs to the high schools.

It is unclear at this time whether there'd be more than one question on the ballot since the actual wording has not yet been formulated.

The district has until October the latest to submit what the referendum question would be, including whether or not it'll be one or multiple questions.

If multiple, passage of the questions could be contingent on each other. For example, if there are at least two questions listed, the second could only proceed if residents approved the first referendum question. Otherwise, both would fail.

In the meantime, the work that has been discussed as possible referendum question or questions include the replacement of the heating, air conditioning and ventilation, and roofs  at both Absegami and Oakcrest high schools.

There is also the possibility that residents would be asked to vote for the installation of solar panels at all three high schools -- the third being Cedar Creek -- and installing lighting and a new sign at the Egg Harbor City-based Cedar Creek High School.

Bond Counsel Ron  Iaonone, at a previous board meeting, had told school officials that they would have to decide which projects they want to do when it went out to referendum.

Not everything will be eligible for state aid, Ioanone said. As such, Ianone said, board members have to ask themselves "do you want to put one question before residents (or) do you want multiple questions?"

Iaonone said the school district would not be eligible for debt service aid for the solar panels and HVAC work due to a decision made by Gov. Chris Christie.

Cost for replacing the heating, ventilation and air condition unit at Absegami High School is an estimated $3.1 million., The cost for lighting and a new sign at Cedar Creek High School is approximately $388,00,000 and the electric sign,  for $200,000.

Solar panels at Oakcrest and Absegamii would cost an excess of $2.3 million.

The roofing project would be the only aspects eligible for grant funding, Iaonone said. He broke these projects down to the following:

At Absegami, the area that would be re-roofed would be the 50,000 square-foot area over the existing gym and locker rooms at a cost of approximately $1.3 million.

Another area which had previously been resealed is also being targeted at the Galloway-based high school at a cost of $1.3 million.

Replacing the entire roof at Oakcrest would be more. The board was told previously that replacing the entire roof at the Mays Landing-based high school would be around $6.8 million with the state paying approximately $3.8 million of that cost.