BASEMENT WATERPROOFING IN Wall

WALL, NJ — On Tuesday, Dec. 13, the Wall Board of Education will hold a special election on two bond questions to fund what the district says are much-needed improvements to all schools in the district with minimal impact on property taxes.

Polls will be open on Tuesday from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Voters will decide two questions in the special election, the district has said.

One question proposes $53 million for widespread roof and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) repairs, electrical and mechanical system upgrades, and restroom modernizations. It also includes renovations to several instructional classrooms and the Wall High School auditorium.

The second proposes $13.5 million for more specifically located HVAC, electrical, and site upgrades; window replacements; art room renovations; and upgrades to expand use of Wall High School’s athletic facilities, the district has said in a news release.

Voter approval of the first question would result in no increase to the current tax rate on a home assessed at the township average ($483,357), the board says.

Voter approval of the second question would result in a tax increase of $5 a month, district officials say.

Approval of both questions would bring in $20 million of new state aid to Wall Township schools, the district says, to offset the cost of the bonds.

“There are two drivers for the timing of these repairs,” Superintendent Tracy Handerhan has said in previous news releases.

“The district has needs now, from inefficient boilers to roofs that are past the time frame that they were expected to last. Secondly, these proposals are timed with the pay-off of other debt from the 1998 referendum.”

She added that “additionally, state aid makes this a great financial opportunity for improvements that will directly benefit the students.”

The projected tax impact is calculated based on the older debt being paid off and the state aid contributing to the future debt payments, the district says. It is calculated based on the mathematical average of all home assessments in Wall Township.

The district has established a website to inform voters: www.WallPublicSchools.org/VISION.

It includes a link to for residents to check the assessed value of their property and the mathematical formula necessary to calculate the specific tax impact for that property, the district says.

It also includes details of the proposed projects, as summarized in a recent Patch article. And it includes the recording of a Virtual Forum held Dec. 1, attended by architects, financial advisers, school district staff members and Board of Education members.

The website also includes poll locations and a link that registered voters can use to search for the polling place to which they are assigned.

Polls will be open on Tuesday, Dec. 13, from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

WALL – Residents will be asked to approve more than $66 million in school improvement projects under a referendum slated for a December vote, the Board of Education announced.

If fully approved, the ballot measure would increase taxes by about $60 per year for the homeowner of an average assessed property.

The ballot measure, which will include two separate questions, seeks approval for projects ranging from fire alarm upgrades to roof repairs, according to a presentation before the school board.

“These are things that we have to do, and if we tried to fund it through the school budget, it would take 26 to 30 years to complete,” said board President Ralph Addonizio. “We have roofs that leak. We have smoke alarm systems we can’t get parts for, and this is the appropriate time to do it.”

Specifically, the board authorized two questions to be placed before voters on Dec. 13.

The first question seeks approval for $53.1 million in projects, with $18 million of that amount coming from matching state grants. Addonizio said the remaining amount would be raised through debt bonds, paid back via the district budget.

He said that portion would not increase taxes because it would replace a $40 million 1998 referendum that is about to be paid off.

But the second question, which seeks authorization for an additional $13 million in projects, would impact taxpayers at a rate of about $60 per year for an average home assessed at $483,357. The district would receive about $2 million in state aid toward those projects.

The multi-part ballot measure has been used elsewhere, most recently in the Freehold Regional High School District, which broke its $42 million referendum in 2019 into three separate questions. Those measures failed.

Freehold Regional was successful in 2021 with a much smaller $14.65 million referendum to fund roof and parking lot repairs at each school. That passed with 59% of the vote in favor.

For subscribers:Hundreds of affordable housing units across multiple projects lined up for Wall

Wall school officials have launched an intense campaign to get the projects approved, hiring a public relations firm last month for $50,000, posting a YouTube video with details about the improvements and recently sending a letter to parents explaining the campaign.

A new section also has been created on the district webpage to offer information and background.

“The primary reason for holding a bond referendum now is that the district has needs at this very moment,” the joint letter from Addonizio and Superintendent Tracy Handerhan said.

While the exact projects are still being chosen, the board recently released a list of some of the improvements, which would affect all seven district schools.

Those include roof replacements, improving heating and cooling systems, modernizing restrooms, upgrading electrical systems, renovating auditoriums and other facilities, and maintaining and improving some athletic facilities.

“At the end of the day, people moved to Wall Township because it is a beautiful town It is well run and we have great schools, and that is due to the staff and the investment we put in them,” Addonizio said. “If we cannot put that investment in the schools, property values will suffer.”

Joe Strupp is an award-winning journalist with 30 years’ experience who covers education and several local communities for APP.com and the Asbury Park Press. He is also the author of three books, including Killing Journalism on the state of the news media, and an adjunct media professor at Rutgers University and Fairleigh Dickinson University. Reach him at [email protected] and at 732-413-3840. Follow him on Twitter at @joestrupp

WALL - Fresh on the heels of Target’s opening, other new tenants, including Salons by JC, are coming to the Plaza 35 shopping center on Route 35.

The new businesses, Salons by JC and Salon Centric, a retail store for licensed cosmetologists and hair stylists, fill out a larger space formerly occupied by Joyce Leslie. Diamond Braces, an orthodontist practice, has signed a lease for about 2,000 square feet.

Salons by JC, a business in which beauty professionals can open their own complete salon, has leased 7,500 square feet, said Ryan Starkman, director at Pierson Commercial, a retail commercial real estate brokerage which represents the shopping center. Next door, Salon Centric has leased about 2,000 square feet.

In the lease transactions, Salon Centric was represented by Amy Staats, vice president at Katz & Associates and Salons by JC was represented by Jake Frantzman, vice president at Ripco Real Estate. Diamond Braces, which has leased a space formerly home to Music Makers, was represented by Matthew Kendarian of Jeffery Realty.

“The salon suites concept is a concept that is growing very rapidly in New Jersey and has proven to be successful in New Jersey,” Starkman said. ”We thought it was a good fit.”

Target, which took over the vacant Kmart store, has helped to revitalize the center. Kmart, the shopping center’s former anchor, closed in December 2019 after several years of decline.

The next year, Target, one of the largest U.S. retailers, announced that it would remodel the building. It opened last month.

With the three new tenants, only one vacancy, a 2,500-square-foot spot, remains. Other tenants in the center include Pet Supplies Plus, Dollar Tree, Meemom’s, Sneakers Plus, City MD, and Golf Kings.

David P. Willis, an award-winning business writer, has covered business and consumer news at the Asbury Park Press for more than 20 years. He writes APP.com's What's Going There and Press on Your Side columns and can be reached at [email protected]. Join his What's Going There page on Facebook for updates.

The Wall Township Board of Education placed seven employees on administrative leave during a board meeting on Tuesday.

The district has not said whether the recent administrative leaves are related to the locker room hazing allegations from the fall, which caused four staff members to be suspended.

The individuals put on administrative leave between March 28 and April 13 were only identified by their employee numbers in the human resources report released by Wall Township School District this week.

Dozens of employees who were approved for routine leaves of absence were identified by name and titled on the agenda this week, but the employees placed on administrative leave were not.

The New Jersey Education Association, the state’s largest teachers union, could not be reached for comment on whether any of its members were included. The district already sent letters to parents in early April that both High School Principal Rosaleen Sirchio and Middle School Principal Erin Embon were being placed on administrative leave.

There was no explanation or timeframe provided and it’s also unclear whether the employees are suspended with or without pay. The annual salaries of Sirchio and Embon alone total $354,101.95, according to 2021-22 salary data.

“So now you have seven people just added that are out on leave, and I’m assuming getting paid,” said Wall resident Betsy Cross during Tuesday’s board meeting. “And you don’t want to list their names, but most people have figured out who they are. So we have to be paying close to a million dollars for people to sit home.”

Last fall, NJ Advance Media learned the athletic director and three district staffers who were football coaches had been placed on administrative leave in connection with hazing allegations that rocked Wall High School. The most recent round of suspensions brings the total number of staff now on administrative leave to 11.

When asked for additional information about the staffing changes, Ralph Addonizio, president of the Wall Township Board of Education, told NJ Advance Media he could not comment on personnel matters.

“By law, we’re not permitted to comment on employee matters, particular employees, why they’re out — and we respect the law. So unfortunately, we don’t comment on anything like that,” Addonizio said.

Athina Cornell, a Wall school board attorney, could not be reached for comment Friday.

Wall Township has been under a microscope since last fall when hazing allegations were leveled at players on the football team. In addition to the repercussions for district staff, seven students also faced suspensions and were criminally charged by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office. Last month, NJ Advance Media reported that at least five of the students agreed to plea deals that drop the most serious charges of sexual contact and ultimately could clear their names entirely.

The Wall school district will have another information session Dec. 9 at the Wall library, prior to the Dec. 13 bond referendum vote.

WALL, NJ — Wall Township residents will decide two questions in a special vote Dec. 13, when they are asked to approve the sale of bonds to fund improvement projects for township schools.

One question proposes $53 million for widespread roof and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) repairs, electrical and mechanical system upgrades, and restroom modernizations. It also includes renovations to several instructional classrooms and the Wall High School auditorium.

The second proposes $13.5 million for more specifically located HVAC, electrical, and site upgrades; window replacements; art room renovations; and important upgrades to expand use of Wall High School’s athletic facilities, the district said in a news release.

Together they could bring $20 million of new state aid to Wall Township Public Schools, the district added, to offset the cost of the bonds.

“There are two drivers for the timing of these repairs,” Superintendent Tracy Handerhan said.

“The district has needs now, from inefficient boilers to roofs that are past the time frame that they were expected to last. Secondly, these proposals are timed with the pay-off of other debt from the 1998 referendum.”

She added that “additionally, state aid makes this a great financial opportunity for improvements that will directly benefit the students.”

Information session Dec. 9

District administrators and Board of Education members will continue to share information about the plans at an information session Friday, Dec. 9, when the district will present facts and figures at the Monmouth County Library Wall Branch, 2700 Allaire Road, from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The district extends a special invitation to senior citizen members of the community, it said in the news release.

The district is finishing payments on the improvements that voters authorized in 1998, which added space at most of the schools and are still serving students today.

Renewing the current level of debt payments for 25 years would continue the cycle of repairing, replacing, and renovating that keeps Wall’s schools maintained and Wall’s tax rate steady, the district says.

The Board of Education packaged certain needs – the ones that are eligible for state aid – into a bond proposal to capture the state aid that only comes when voters approve this particular type of funding.

This state aid is valuable, covering about $20 million of the costs, but it only comes with a voter-approved bond referendum. Without it, 100 percent of the costs of these must-do items would come from the district’s regular budget, the district said.

Tax impact

The projected tax impact is calculated based on the older debt being paid off and the state aidcontributing to the future debt payments, the district says. It is calculated based on the mathematical average of all home assessments in Wall Township.

On a home assessed at the average ($483,357), voter approval of the first question would result in no increase to the current tax rate; payments would be made within the existing tax rate.

Voter approval of the second question would result in a tax increase of $5 a month, district officials say.

Special website

The district has established a website to inform voters: www.WallPublicSchools.org/VISION.

It includes a link that anyone can use to check the assessed value of their property and the mathematical formula necessary to calculate the specific tax impact for that property, the district says.

It also includes details of the proposed projects. And it includes the recording of a Virtual Forum held Dec. 1, attended by architects, financial advisers, school district staff members and Board of Education members.

Polling times

The website also includes poll locations and a link that registered voters can use to search for thepoll to which they are assigned.

Polls will be open on Tuesday, Dec. 13 from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Projects planned

This referendum is a community-wide, community-focused proposal that "balances necessary facility repairs/upgrades and instructional program needs with the financial impact on taxpayers," the district says.

"It also recognizes that school quality and community pride go hand in hand. The Board of Education has used numerous ways to inform the community and now encourages everyone to make their voices heard by voting," the district says.

A past presentation explained improvements to each school to be funded under the bonds:

Allenwood Elementary:

Central Elementary:

West Belmar Elementary:

Old Mill Elementary:

Primary School:

Intermediate School:

High School:

(Note: The Monmouth County Library provides meeting space as a community service. The library neither sponsors nor endorses this event, the speaker(s) or the organization.)

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