Caldwell-West reveals scaled-down field house plan, budgets $8.5 million and sets November ballot question

The Caldwell-West Caldwell Board of Education on Tuesday presented a revised plan for a field house at James Caldwell High School and said the project will be put to voters on the November ballot.

Architect Greg Somjit of Paredes Somjit Architects described a one-story, roughly 7,000-square-foot field house that would replace the existing 3,000-square-foot structure and add separate team rooms and restrooms for men and women, a trainer’s area, public restrooms including a family bathroom, storage space and a small ADA-compliant parking area. "The budget is about $8,500,000," Somjit said during the presentation.

The board said the plan is a smaller, more focused alternative to an earlier two-story proposal that voters rejected in a prior referendum. The revised design removes many of the additional elements from the earlier scheme and is intended to address safety, accessibility and equity concerns while reducing cost. "This building . . . is almost an in kind replacement with what is there today with the exception that it's modernized, it's code compliant for barrier free wheelchairs," Somjit said.

Why it matters: The field house would provide indoor space and restroom/changing facilities for athletes and physical-education classes, replacing porta-johns and the current building’s lack of female accommodations. Board members and the architect emphasized compliance elements such as accessible parking and stormwater management. The district said state funding will cover a share and the question will be included on the regular November election ballot to avoid the expense of a special election.

Details of the plan: The design adds two team rooms and a coach’s office on each side, a trainer’s room overlooking the track, central public restrooms and family facilities, and storage for sporting equipment. The project footprint increases from approximately 3,000 square feet to just over 7,000 square feet. The plan also formalizes an existing gravel parking area (striping and paving, with one handicap space) and adds a small retention basin for stormwater control.

Board and community comments: Several residents asked for more information about tax impacts, the district’s held capital reserve, meeting frequency and community outreach. Architect Somjit and board officials said the district is retaining a previously allocated $2 million in its capital reserve as a contingency in case of escalation and will provide tax and financing projections after consulting the district’s financial adviser. "The board still has the $2,000,000. . . they are going to hold it in their capital reserve account," the architect said when asked about the money previously discussed.

Opponents and neighbors raised concerns about communication and timing. "I don't really think the public of our district is aware of what's going on," said resident Sharon DeMeo, who lives adjacent to the proposed site. Board members said additional public meetings and web updates will follow; they also noted the November placement removes direct cost for a special election.

Next steps: The district said it will ask its financial advisers to produce tax-impact scenarios and will publish those projections and graphics on the district website and in communications to the community. The board also said that further design development remains to be done and that the final financing and timeline will be set after additional review. The question will appear on the November ballot, with exact voting hours to be announced ahead of the election.

Context and constraints: Officials cautioned that public-construction costs are subject to state prevailing-wage rules and other statutory compliance that can raise overall cost compared with private-market projects. The board said the new proposal was developed after about a year of meetings and community input and was intended to respond to the majority of voters who rejected the earlier two-story plan while still addressing safety and equity issues.