Operations update: district moves to replace condensate tank, crosswalk dispute persists; board accepts $5,000 band donation

The Watchung Hills Regional High School Board’s operations committee reported that a condensate-tank replacement project for the south boilers — included in the 2025–26 capital budget — requires prompt action because lead times for tanks can be eight to ten weeks. The committee said an initial cooperative-contract price from MPA was $114,000 but that MPA later lost the cooperative contract; the next available cooperative price from McCluskey was $121,253.70, and the replacement proposal was on the board agenda for approval that night.

Board members also spent extended time discussing a separate safety and infrastructure item: a proposed sidewalk/crosswalk on a county road near the high school. Several board members said the request originated from a sending district concerned about younger students crossing the road, but the high school board members argued that the road is a county jurisdiction and that the cost and scope — including a long run of sidewalk affected by steep grades and trees — make the project expensive and outside the district’s financial responsibility. One board member noted the township had received pilot funds that could be applied to such improvements and said the board should not be held responsible for what the member described as a township/county infrastructure obligation. No formal district-funded commitment for a sidewalk or crosswalk was approved during the meeting; the discussion concluded with board members asking local municipal and county officials to take the lead on solutions.

On consent agenda business the board accepted, with gratitude, a $5,000 donation from the Warren Township Lions Club to support the high school marching band’s equipment updates; the acceptance was read into the record and then approved during the roll-call votes on agenda items. The operations committee also reported discussion in executive session about rooftop units and received updates on the district’s budget and grant funding from the chief school administrator.

Separately, the board received an update that a Rowan-led shared-services regionalization feasibility study will present a first full draft to the shared-services advisory committee likely in August, with a planned public presentation in October. A board representative said the study will include actionable recommendations affecting both the regional district and its sending districts.

No new capital contract signatures were described on the record beyond the proposals explained in the committee report; board members said time-sensitive procurement decisions for HVAC equipment would be brought forward in the consent agenda for formal votes.