To the Editor:
The Haddonfield Board of Education is preparing to ask residents for $50 million for building maintenance and repair. A third of that amount may eventually come from the State of New Jersey, but residents will still be on the hook for nearly the entire amount once the interest is added.
Haddonfield residents have already given our school district $44 million in bond money for maintenance, repair and construction of our school buildings from 1986 through 2004. That includes $33 million from the 2000 and 2004 bonds of which we still owe $16 million in principal and $2 to $4 million dollars in interest on that borrowed money to be paid until 2025. In doing so, residents trusted that their tax dollars would be spent wisely and competently.
Unfortunately that trust has not been met with good results. For years, students and parents have complained of leaks in ceilings, trash cans collecting rainwater, cracking mortar, and other signs of disrepair. This past summer, the district was forced to seal off and make emergency repairs to walls that were in danger of collapse at two schools. Some of the disrepair is now outlined in the report of school district’s architect, Becica Associates, entitled Preliminary Building Envelope Condition Assessment available on the Hadonfield Public Schools website, also posted on the Haddonfield United Facebook page. I urge all residents to read this report.
To cite just a few examples from the Becica report: roof shingles are falling because steel nails are corroding and copper fasteners should have been used; the rooftop HVAC units do not properly consider waterproofing of duct penetrations and proximity to rising wall flashings; and steel lintels were originally installed without corrosion protective coatings, and coupled with lack of through wall flashings, have caused corrosion, and so on for 100 pages.
Obviously none of us can change the past; we can only learn from it and chart a better course for the future. I agree with other Haddonfield residents who have advocated the creation of a citizens’ advisory committee comprised of experts in building maintenance and repair. I also agree that the school board must propose a smaller referendum upfront, focused on projects that directly impinge upon student and staff safety. In the future, residents can approve further bonding for other projects once they see positive results.
Anthony J. Errichetto
