Board approves $800,000 capital reserve withdrawal for turf field and wood‑shop dust collection; vendor for dust system accepted

The Riverside Township Board of Education voted unanimously on May 4 to withdraw $800,000 from the district’s capital reserve to fund construction of a turf field at Rocky Cancellieri Stadium and to install a wood dust collection system in the high‑school woodshop.

The resolution describes the expenditures as for construction elements that exceed facilities efficiency standards and are necessary to achieve the New Jersey Student Learning Standards. The motion was made by Ms. Strough and seconded by Mrs. Wrice.

At the same meeting the board accepted a proposal from W.J. Gross, Inc. (Co‑Op #66CCEPS) to furnish and install the wood dust collection system for the high‑school woodshop; the public motion records acceptance of the vendor’s attached proposal, while the agenda attachments (not printed in full in the public motion) contain the vendor’s pricing and scope details.

Why it matters: approval authorizes immediate use of capital reserve funds for athletic‑facility work and a shop‑safety upgrade. The turf field is a visible facilities investment that may affect scheduling and athletics; the dust collection installation is a safety and facilities improvement for the high‑school woodshop program.

What’s not in the public motion: the board resolution records the $800,000 capital reserve withdrawal but does not print the full vendor dollar amount on the motion line for the W.J. Gross acceptance; the W.J. Gross proposal is referenced as attached to the agenda. Further procurement detail (final contract value and timeline) should be confirmed with the district business office or in the posted attachments.

Speakers referenced in this article: Ms. N. Strough (board member), R. Wrice (board member).