U.F. should support plan to save millions
Pin Upper Freehold and Allentown have a right to understand who is working in their best interests and who is not.

Our school board's methodical approach to the new middle school project has paid off in a substantial way. Working closely with officials from Allentown and the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the school board has determined it will save millions of dollars and months of permitting work by hooking into Allentown's wastewater treatment plant. In construction costs alone, the savings will exceed $1.6 million. In ongoing operational costs, the savings will reach an additional $1.5 million over 20 years. Perhaps the best news is that this approach eliminates an entire critical permitting path from the middle school project and ensures that the school will open on time.

Our school board deserves huge credit for staying on top of this question for so long. Experts continually told them that the school should stay out of the wastewater treatment business and these $3 million savings in time and property taxes are the proof.

There is no valid argument against this time- and moneysaving decision. A single question has been raised about how the hook-up might affect the school district's portion of future repairs to the wastewater treatment plant. But since the school district will account for about the same amount of the plant's usage both before and after the school is completed, the district's obligation will be no different than it is currently.

On March 5, the school board voted to ask Upper Freehold to approve a resolution in support of hooking the new school into Allentown's plant. And according to a story in last week's paper, the principal planner for the Monmouth County Planning Board said the support from Upper Freehold is still not clear.

Upper Freehold's support must become crystal clear at tonight's Township Committee meeting. Three million dollars is a lot of money to property taxpayers who are suffering in both towns. And there's an on-time school opening that hangs in the balance as well. All from a simple, requested resolution. Committeemen Dave Reed and Stan Moslowski have already signaled their support. By this time tomorrow, we'll know whether our students will have an on-time middle school opening and our taxpayers will have $3 million worth of direct property tax relief.

Micah Rasmussen

Allentown