HILLSDALE—District officials will consider moving forward on a bond referendum in 2023 to replace George G. White School if a potential site across from the middle school on Magnolia Street clears due diligence.
The district is open to a range of outcomes that serve school families best — and the move has potential amid the borough’s search for a site for a community center.
“The due diligence phase for the Board of Education will commence shortly to investigate the possibility of a new structure,” district superintendent Robert Lombardy told Pascack Press on Nov. 16.
The Hillsdale Public School District includes George G. White Middle School, at 120 Magnolia Ave., constructed in 1922, and Ann Blanche Smith and Meadowbrook elementary schools.
Lombardy said next steps include a demographics study, title and deed searches, and a topographic study. He added this would include environmental testing of the soil.
A decision on a referendum might come as early as January 2022, officials said. A likely bond referendum could be held in March 2023 should efforts show no problems and the Board of Education approve moving forward by no later than March 2022.
This would allow time for school officials to apply for state aid and undertake public outreach throughout 2022 before a referendum vote in early 2023, they said.
Board President Shane Svorec told Pascack Press of the middle school’s condition.
“The current school building has long been a topic of discussion and its condition, although safe, has become a situation in which band-aids will no longer fix and requires a long-term plan of action. The priority of the board is to make decisions that are fiscally responsible while ensuring that our students and staff have the resources they need, a space that is conducive to learning, and a building that is practical and efficient.”
She added, “Over the years, the district has faced many changes and experienced forces beyond our control — including numerous storms that caused roof leaks and interior wall and floor damage, just to name a few. With a mature building, we have also dealt with limitations of power, an older, less efficient and at times unreliable boiler, and classrooms, gym, and multi-use space that is not only outdated but not adequate in size and space.”
She said, “Add to this a national pandemic that further stalled plans and further limited financial resources.”
Cost estimates would emerge after questions were answered on the number of stories, classroom sizes, and other amenities proposed.
Lombardy and Business Administrator Sacha Pouliot told Pascack Press Nov. 16 that an ad hoc committee met over the summer to develop a plan to update and modernize the 100-year-old middle school facility and grounds that maximizes available space.
“The committee felt that the best use of resources would be to investigate a plan that would place a new middle school building on the property that currently sits across the street from George G. White Middle School,” Lombardy said in a statement.
School officials said they would meet with the borough planner to determine “if there is any collaboration that can take place” with the borough’s interest in building a new community center.
“In concert with the district architect [Di Cara Rubino], the committee examined the current condition of the George G. White Middle School. The architect provided the district and this committee with their findings from a recent facility audit. They brainstormed and discussed a host of ideas,” Lombardy said.
He added that among the areas of conversation were renovating the current building, razing and building a new structure on the current middle school site, and building a new structure across the street.
Lombardy said there is a need for a modernized middle school, noting current classrooms comprise 700 to 800 square feet versus about 550 square feet in the existing middle school. He said the regulations guiding school construction today are much different from a century ago.
Lombardy said renovating the current building would require students to be removed from the middle school for about 18 months. “That’s two school years … and nobody on the committee wanted that disruption for the children, and for their learning, their social interaction and their well-being at the school.”
Lombardy said once all reports from the board’s due diligence efforts have been received, the board will decide whether to go forward with a bond referendum for a new middle school.
“Hillsdale is like a hidden jewel. It’s an attractive place to live and to grow a family. It’s an exciting time,” he said.