Board and administration outline bond sale timeline and 2026 capital projects tied to referendum

Superintendent Dr. McNeely and finance committee chair Mick Weeks told the Moorestown Township Board of Education that referendum planning is advancing and the district expects to complete a bond sale by Dec. 3 to fund the first phase of projects.

“We're on track to complete the bond sale by December 3,” Dr. McNeely said, adding that architects and engineers are finalizing plans and preparing requests for proposals (RFPs). Finance chair Mick Weeks said the rating call for the bond issuance was positive and discussed timing and sequencing for work. The first-phase projects identified include fire-panel replacements (district-wide except South Valley), roofing upgrades (Roberts, Baker, and the high school), stadium turf replacement, and new tennis courts.

Weeks and the committee discussed logistics for stadium-turf installation and recommended scheduling construction after graduation to reduce disruption to athletics, with contingencies for late summer or early fall if necessary. The committee flagged a stormwater-management and moisture-remediation project at Roberts that is outside the referendum but may overlap with referendum-funded work.

Finance also discussed the district’s current insurance package and recommended remaining with the Burlington County Insurance Pool joint insurance fund. The committee said RFPs for environmental consultants, construction manager, and legal services will be advertised and anticipated contracts to be awarded in December.

The board heard that one tenant, ESF, could be affected by summer work at the Williams campus and that the district will seek workarounds to allow continued use; contract-renewal negotiations with ESF will begin given their three-year agreement is ending next year.

What’s next: RFPs go out in coming weeks, award recommendations are expected in December, and project scheduling will be refined to minimize impact on school programming and athletics.