Allentown resident says a new school referendum is needed

I understand all the concern for the overcrowded situation at the current elementary/middle school in Upper Freehold. We desperately need a new middle school. That is why the former school board leadership originally rushed the referendum through the electoral process.

Unfortunately, it is obvious that mistakes were made in their haste to provide a much needed new middle school.

I am on record writing that the school board should never have been in the position of site selection. The township leaders should have seen the need and set aside preserved land for such a school.

With that said, it is obvious that mistakes have been made in this site selection. Shortly after the school referendum was passed, I attended a meeting at the state's Office of Smart Growth. There were representatives from the school board, Upper Freehold and Allentown elected officials, members of the community and representatives of state agencies that the Office of Smart Growth asked to attend.

After the school board stated their needs from the Office of Smart Growth and explained the location problems, a representative from the department of transportation asked, "How could you go to referendum, ask the voters to approve this site and new school, without these issues already resolved?" I immediately said, "That is why we opposed the referendum; the location has problems and the school board rushed to referendum."

Little did I know at the time that there were so many more problems that would crop up shortly after that meeting.

For the same reason why the well-intended school board rushed to get this referendum pushed through - the kids; is the same reason why the new leadership of the school board needs to look at other locations.

The Ellisdale Road site will never have a school built on it. Not because of the soil contamination, which is an issue in itself, but because of the sewer permits that will never be issued by the state and the county for a new sewage treatment plant. The school board already determined that the other solution, to use the Beacon Hill Sewage Treatment plant, was not a good alternative. Heritage Green and Four Seasons already have problems with the current plant and expansion is not a good option. Revisiting that will only cost valuable time that our kids don't have.

Our kids deserve better and a faster solution to getting this school built. There are some new, very viable, locations that must be looked at that were not available the first time around. Now is the time to start the process for a new referendum to move the site to a new location.

John Nanni

Allentown