Volume118 Number 19 THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2005 75 Cents BOE floats tear-down proposal point demolition of the addition By Harry Trumbore would create the opportunity to of The Item concentrate nearly all construction and renovation at the school in an Architects Monday night pre- area big enough to accommodate a sented the Board of Education three-story wing that included a with revised plans for proposed gym. Concentrating construction construction at the middle and in the one area also could shorten high schools and showed how esti- considerably the time frame for mated costs could be lowered sub- construction at the school, he stantially from the initial projec- added. tions presented last month. “It’s a dramatic idea,” admitted It was the board members them- middle school principal Michael selves, however, who offered the Cahill. He and vice principal most dramatic plan to address the Theresa Gonnella told the board growing student population. replacing the addition with the Following a discussion about larger structure would create a the impact on students of con- number of problems, most impor- Harry Trumbore/staff photographer struction and renovation in and tant of which would be the reloca- ROOM TO GROW—At Monday night’s Board of Education around the middle school, Carol tion of the eighth grade classes meeting, architect Thomas Kosten, with microphone, shows Marcus, chairman of the board now occupying the wing. Cahill Property Committee, announced said trailers for eight classes would where a revised construction plan for Millburn Middle School. the board is investigating the pos- be needed during the first year of Board member Joshua Scharf holds the diagram of the sibility of knocking down the construction. school. Behind Kosten is architect Michael Bieri. school’s controversial eight-class- Superintendent of Schools room addition, completed just Richard Brodow said by the sec- top of the existing addition, the run between $19 and $22 million. three years ago at a reported cost ond year, trailers for 13 classes architects said, five science rooms They estimated the cost of demol- of $2.8 million. would be required. and two art rooms could be added. ishing the addition and building a Critics have maintained the Gonnella told the board a larg- Demolishing the old addition and new structure on the site anywhere one-story wing was not built to er, multi-storied wing does not erecting a new two-story addition between $20 and $23 million. support construction of a second address a desire to centralize some would also provide for reconfigu- Those costs still were higher Adam Anik/staff photographer floor. Marcus said the move was commonly used facilities, such as ration of the new gymnasium and than the price of the construction SPRINGTIME CHORE—Above, Hartshorn School stu- less a case of the board admitting it the technology department and technology center with nine new proposal with a more centralized dents Ethan, left, and Eric Mintz are delighted at their had made a mistake building the science labs. classrooms on the ground floor construction plan and renovations finds—old books, bags, bottles and a lottery ticket— one-story wing than facing the Although the architects from and the five science rooms and two throughout the building that the behind the bus shelter on Millburn Avenue at the edge of reality that the location can be bet- Feitlowitz and Kosten only learned art rooms above. architects presented earlier in the Taylor Park, at the town’s annual Cleanup Day Friday. The ter utilized. of the board’s new deliberations on In all of the proposed middle meeting. Environmental Commission organizes the event, in which “Maybe we have to say let’s cut Friday, they were able to present school plans, the architects relo- By eliminating an overhaul of participants are rewarded with a certificate for free ice our losses and maximize the use of rough drawings incorporating the cated the music rooms to the wooden doors and card security the site,” she said. “The concern is more centralized construction northern end of the building over systems, with no renovations to the cream, courtesy of the Downtown Millburn Development does it make educational, logistical plans. Their efforts earned praise an expanded cafeteria area. auditorium and no upgrades to Alliance. Below, Anna Rosenfeld, a first grader with and financial sense?” from Scharf, who has been critical The estimated price tags for con- restrooms throughout the middle Brownie Troop 222 out of Deerfield School, finds a Veri- Board member Joshua Scharf of the architectural firm in the past. struction over the existing addition, zon LG cellular phone in the grass. supported the idea, making the By building a second floor on according to the architects, would Continued on Page D4 Zoning forum clarifies rules soning behind certain restrictions. yard provisions is not to push tive.” Keller suggested Hoffman By Patricia Harris At the session, the subcommit- houses to the center, but rather to discuss the effective date of the of The Item tee presented the most recent ver- limit the scale of new construction. measure with the Township Com- sion of the proposed ordinance, Hoffman also objected to the mittee. Drafters of a proposed zoning which has been referred to as a four-month period being proposed During the course of the discus- ordinance seeking to regulate the McMansions ordinance because it before the new zoning ordinance sion, members of the subcommit- size of houses being built in the deals with houses seen as over- takes effect as being too short. She tee indicated they plan to brief the township sought to stay on mes- sized in relation to their lot size. contended building projects zoning board of their intentions in sage during a May 5 public forum The new version will be introduced already in the works might be drafting the regulations. Keller said at the Millburn Free Public Library, May 17 at the Township Commit- affected, and homeowners would supplying a narrative might help while at the same time addressing tee meeting. Members of the sub- suddenly be forced to seek vari- members of the board in deciding public concerns. committee made changes as a ances from the Zoning Board of when they should issue variances. The message the five members result of comments received at an Adjustment if the project does not An audience member asked if of the subcommittee of the Plan- earlier public forum held in March. comply with the proposed ordi- an analysis had been done of the ning Board in attendance sought to Following the Committee’s nance. homes in the R-3 and R-4 districts convey is that the proposed ordi- introduction of the proposed ordi- John Buchholz, another mem- that would be thrown into non- nance will reduce the massiveness nance on May 17, members of the ber of the subcommittee, respond- conformity under the new regula- of houses without discouraging public will have another chance to ed by saying, “The measure has tions. Michael Gorman, chairman homeowners from adding onto comment on it at a public hearing been out there for a long time, and their houses. The new ordinance that will be set for Tuesday, June 7, we’ve actually made it less restric- Continued on Page D4 applies to the R-3 and the R-4 dis- at Town Hall. Thereafter, the tricts of the township, where some Township Committee can approve of the larger lots in town are locat- the measure. ed. Diana Hoffman, an architect Committee revisiting 2-lane traffic The hour and a half session and township resident, objected to drew about 25 people, many of side yard provisions of the pro- Members of the Township Committee will revisit the possibility them architects and building pro- posed ordinance on the grounds it of reducing traffic to two lanes along Millburn Avenue from Main fessionals. Although some ques- would force development of a Street to Lackawanna Place when they convene Tuesday for their Neigel disputes tions were highly technical and house in the middle of a lot and regular meeting, according to Mayor Thomas C. McDermott. related to hypothetical situations, affect the variety of styles of homes McDermott said the township’s traffic engineer, John Rae, has members of the subcommittee of in the township. been asked to attend the session, which begins at 8 p.m. at Town the Planning Board who have been “You’re making a cookie cutter Hall. Under discussion will be traffic flow on Millburn Avenue and drafting the proposed ordinance— look,” she said. in the remainder of the downtown, as well as four parking spaces Newsweek poll some of them architects them- To that concern, subcommittee on the west side of Main Street between Essex Street and Millburn selves—tried to provide specific member Rich Keller, also an archi- Avenue. Neigel said he has known the answers as well as explain the rea- tect, replied the goal of the side By Harry Trumbore author of the Newsweek article, of The Item Jay Mathews, since the 1990s and has disputed Mathews’ reliance on The current issue of Newsweek the AP as a sole indicator of how presents the magazine’s annual list well a school prepares a student for School violence numbers drop of the top 100 high schools in the college. Neigel made the point that nation and Millburn High School Mathews’ ranking is not based on community that most incidents are school day. The incidents most Paul Roth, the district’s director didn’t make the grade. performance on the AP exams. By Harry Trumbore noticed likely occurred during dances at of technology, said he will be work- of The Item Millburn, which was ranked “At some schools, a large per- “We catch everything, we report the school.