Township Planning Board Hears About Pre-K Conversion

Members of the Washington Township Planning Board heard from school district representatives Wednesday night about the pre-K conversion project that aims to move students from the Sullivan Center at to the , which is directly across the street. Some board members are concerned that the proposed playground area doesn't have enough of a barrier to protect students from cars that could enter the playground in the event of a crash.

Board members asked representatives to come to the meeting Wednesday night to go over the plan. The board originally looked over the proposal at the March 30 meeting but had not asked for school district representation at that time.

Business Administrator Keith Rosado, Director of Elementary Education Rory McCourt and Architect Michael Bieri attended the Planning Board meeting to outline the site plan and answer questions.

Bieri talked about the details of the site plan, explaining that the parking spaces in front of the playground would be for parents during drop-off and pick-up times. Because of the students' young age, parents walk them to the teacher rather than simply dropping them off, which happens at the other elementary schools in the district.

Bieri said there would be a six-foot sidewalk with a curb and a chain link fence between the parking lot and the playground.

Planning Board Engineer Paul Azzolina said he was originally concerned high school students would be parking near the playground. But he added that to increase safety, a sturdier barrier could be installed.

Rosado said that preschool children will not be in the playground area during drop-off or pick-up times because they are dropped off to the teacher and released directly to their parents. He added that officials are looking into changing the dismissal time to make pick-up safer.

The pre-K program currently lets out at noon. Officials are considering pushing it back five minutes because seniors return from lunch at 11:58 a.m. and they are allowed off school grounds. Rosado said the seven-minute buffer would allow students to get out of the parking lot before the preschoolers are released.

Planning Board Chairman Gus Calamari pointed out that anyone can have a car accident and asked if the district was willing to consider the engineer's suggestion of a barrier.

"We felt that the six-foot sidewalk clearance--with the curb, the six-foot sidewalk and the fencing--was substantial," Rosado said. But he added, "We will take into consideration anything the board suggests."

Board member Lenord Sabino asked if the 10 parking spaces by the playground could be eliminated.

"The reason why we felt it important to allocate those 10 spots in the front is just because preschool drop-off is so different than drop-off at other elementary schools," McCourt said. He explained that each parent walks the student inside and needs a place to park.

Calamari suggested that the board direct Azzolina to write a letter to the district with his recommendations to increase safety of the playground area.

Board member Jacqueline Do said she would also like the police and fire departments to give their opinions to the board. Calamari said they could ask the departments for their opinions but that the school district would not be bound by the findings.

The next Planning Board meeting is scheduled for May 25.