Millburn Township schools receive grants for roofing projects

Millburn Township Public Schools will receive almost $1.3 million in grant money from the State of New Jersey to be used toward four roof replacement projects at Deerfield, Wyoming, Glenwood and Millburn High schools.

Millburn received the four grants through the New Jersey Schools Development Authority Regular Operating District grant program. The Department of Education approves these grants that are financed by the School Development Authority for school facilities projects. The state share funds 40% of school projects that are deemed to be priorities based on critical need. The grants are contingent on local approval of the remaining cost to school districts.

At the Millburn Board of Education on Dec. 16 the board approved a resolution to accept the preliminary eligible costs as determined by the Department of Education. It will take several months to complete the grant acceptance process. Work on the projects is anticipated to begin during the summer of 2014.

The total cost for the roof projects is $3,190,828, of which the grants will cover 40%, or $1,276,331. The school district is responsible for 60% of the local share of costs, or $1,914,497. For the three projects at Millburn High School, Deerfield, and Wyoming, the local share will be funded by capital reserve funds totaling $1.6 million. The board will continue to consider the funding of the local share of $239,752 for the Glenwood School roof project, with the possibility of including it in the 2014-15 school year budget, or by using 2014-15 capital reserve funds. The school district has 18 months to spend the grant money from the state.

The Department of Education received applications for more than 2,100 individual school projects in September 2013. On Dec. 4 the state announced the approval of $507.7 million in state financing to help fund 1,538 individual school construction projects in 331 school districts. "This is a tremendous opportunity for the district to save a substantial amount of money while accomplishing some much-needed building preservation projects we absolutely must get done, says Dr. James Crisfield, Superintendent of Schools. My hat is off to Mr. DiGeronimo and his team for securing this state funding assistance. It took many hours to make happen, but clearly it was time well spent."

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Millburn Township schools receive grants for roofing projects