The pictures tell the story. While the $152 million price tag screams no way, the cost of building three new schools and renovating two others in financially challenged Bristol Township seems less objectionable after viewing photos of the community’s rotting public schools. But need doesn’t sell the project alone. Fact is, the district can do the project — build three new elementary schools and renovate two middle schools — without any additional cost to taxpayers. Not a penny — if the math is right. And from our layman’s perspective it looks like it is. In fact, the district would end up with less debt service than it has now.
How could that happen? Well, some might say the stars are aligned correctly. By that we mean the district’s long-term debt will come off the books in 2015, which translates into $4 million worth of loan payments a year that will go away. While borrowing $152 million to do the project will yield annual debt service of $9.6 million, that number will be offset by reduced costs. A total of seven buildings would be closed, which would reduce maintenance and utility costs to the tune of more than a half-million dollars annually; then add in deferred maintenance savings of more than a quarter-million dollars; plus, so-called “staffing efficiencies” — fewer district workers and administrators for fewer schools — and you end up with more than $3.5 million in savings. Then there’s the nearly $1.4 million the state would kick in each year for construction costs. Do the math and you end up with annual debt service of $3.87 million, which is nearly $213,000 less than the $4 million the district pays now. When you figure that the district can put all of its elementary and middle school students into new and renovated schools without raising taxes and also without increasing debt payments — in fact, annual debt service would be lowered — the question of whether officials should go ahead with the plan seems like a no-brainer. Likewise, citizens should give the plan their blessing. Taxpayers will get their opportunity to tell school board members and administrators what they think at next week’s public meeting on the issue: 7-10 p.m. Feb. 12, at the Benjamin Franklin School on Mill Creek Road in Levittown. If you go — and you should — take a close look at the slides officials will present as evidence of the schools’ awful conditions — conditions that renovations cannot reverse at a lower cost than building new. And also bring a calculator so you can add up the numbers yourself. Said one official in a recent meeting with our editorial board, “It makes all the sense in the world to go in this direction.” No argument here. Look, we understand that $152 million is a huge number. And that the project would encumber the district with many more years of new debt. But the fact is, the community has an obligation to provide its children with an education in facilities that are capable of housing today’s education programs — and that are safe. The other thing is, the district’s enrollment numbers are going up and will continue to go up. So if you care about the schools and, more importantly, the children attending those schools, you’ll reach the same conclusion that skeptical members of our editorial board reached: How can you not do this?
But when Morrisville proposed a project to replace aging schools with a state of the art facility that would have reduced operating costs over the long term, NO - Stop the tax and spenders. This will ruin Morrisville! Now we have all these kids jammed into two aging and high maintenance facilities that don't have any of the advantages of modern thinking and design, but hey, at least the Stop the School mentality brought us the likes of Hellman and company, so we now have a new boogeyman to vilify for all our woes. Sandy Gibson and Ken Junkins can sit back and relax, especially as they both moved away after their "disastrous" reigns. SNARK!
"When you figure that the district can put all of its elementary and middle school students into new and renovated schools without raising taxes and also without increasing debt payments — in fact, annual debt service would be lowered — the question of whether officials should go ahead with the plan seems like a no-brainer."
Then there's Morrisville. A plan comes before council to make the borough buildings more energy efficient, bring new streetlights to the entire borough, etc without raising taxes and actually lowering the costs in the future - 3 council people vote no.
On a brighter note the Morrisville Marching Band will be performing at the Trenton Titans hockey game this Friday 2/8/13. National Anthem at 6:55pm, other performances at halftime and throughout the night in the stands keeping everyone pumped up. $12 pp at the doors, come out for a family night that is reasonable and close by.
School rebuilding plan makes financial sense Story
Posted: Thursday, February 7, 2013 5:00 am | Updated: 7:34 am, Thu Feb 7, 2013.
Anyone who owns an old home knows all too well that maintenance costs are a continual drain. Worse, the inevitable need to replace windows, roofing, utilities, siding — the list goes on and on — forces a choice between investing in the old place or buying new for some homeowners.
Such is the situation confronting the Neshaminy School District. The cost of maintaining its old buildings has grown prohibitive. And most of those buildings are underutilized, some significantly. What’s more, if the buildings are to remain in operation on a long-term basis, they’ll need some $40 million in repairs, renovations and upgrades.
School board members and administrators have been wrestling with the question of whether to sink the necessary tens of millions of dollars into the old buildings as a means of stemming the growing maintenance costs and providing adequate facilities for today’s technology-driven education programs. They think they have the answer.
Over the course of many meetings — all open to the public — the board’s school consolidation citizens advisory committee has signed off on a plan that calls for closing three elementary schools and building a new super school. This would provide estimated annual savings of more than $2 million. That includes mostly cuts in support and professional staff plus reductions in utility and maintenance expenses.
The cost of building a new school is estimated at about $35 million. Construction would be paid for by borrowing $50 million, a transaction that would include refinancing existing debt at today’s lower interest rates. This would enable the district to build the new school and also do upgrades at the five remaining elementary schools.
All without additional cost to taxpayers; in other words, no new taxes. Board members are calling it a “revenue neutral’’ plan, which as best as we can tell is accurate.
Nonetheless, some taxpayers are skeptical. At this week’s school board meeting some of those well-meaning and concerned citizens voiced their objections. They accused the board of speeding the project through the review process and pressed members to place the project on the ballot for citizens to decide.
We understand citizens’ concerns. Times are tough and borrowing $50 million in a down economy seems to fly in the face of prudent financial thinking. Ironically, because times are tough interest rates are low and so it’s a good time to borrow. Money is cheap.
And as far as the review process goes, the “citizens advisory committee,” which counts among its members only one school board director, has met in an open forum over many months. More meetings are to be held by the board before voting on the committee’s recommendation to go ahead with the plan — a recommendation favored by 10 of the committee’s 12 members.
And so we encourage citizens to attend those coming meetings but to do so with an open mind. And while we believe that public awareness and involvement is important, we don’t think this issue should be determined at the ballot box. School board members already were chosen at the ballot box and they have demonstrated a responsible effort to make an informed and wise decision. We believe they are more than capable of doing that. And in our view they should vote Yes.
Bounder Ah good morning. I'm Bounder of Adventure. Tourist My name is Smoke-Too-Much. Bounder What? Tourist My name is Smoke-Too-Much. Mr Smoke-Too-Much. Bounder Well you'd better cut down a little then. Tourist What? Bounder You'd better cut down a little then. Tourist Oh I see! Cut down a bit, for Smoke-Too-Much. Bounder Yes, he he...I expect you get people making jokes about your name all the time, eh? Tourist No, no actually. Actually, it never struck me before. Smoke...too...much!
Posted: Thursday, February 7, 2013 7:00 am | Updated: 5:52 pm, Thu Feb 7, 2013.
by George Mattar
MORRISVILLE — A man dove over a counter Tuesday and stabbed a Dunkin' Donuts employee and made off with cash.
The incident was reported at 10:35 p.m. at the corner of South Pennsylvania Avenue and West Bridge Street, said Morrisville Acting Chief Lt. Tom Herron.
The suspect, a balding, white male with brown hair, about 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighing 185 pounds, parked a car at the gas pumps, went in and dove over the counter, police said.
Armed with a screwdriver, he stabbed the employee in the hand and took an undetermined amount of money, police said.
The suspect, who was wearing all dark clothing, got into a blue or black four-door sedan and drove off. The car possibly has New Jersey plates.
Police said the employee was injured, but it was not life-threatening.
Tonight, 7pm, LGI at High School, Morrisville Education committee public meeting. Be sure to come out and get caught up on the items on the table for consideration and talk through pros and cons with your neighbors. This is your time to be a part of the process.
Wednesday, 2/13 7pm LGI is the Superintendents Public meeting. Parents, have a question about anything going on in district, in your son/daugthers class? etc. talk one on one with the Super and get information first hand. Casual environment, you set the agenda with your questions. Bring another parent with you.
20 comments:
$152 million project, Unique opportunity: Zero sum project
The pictures tell the story. While the $152 million price tag screams no way, the cost of building three new schools and renovating two others in financially challenged Bristol Township seems less objectionable after viewing photos of the community’s rotting public schools.
But need doesn’t sell the project alone. Fact is, the district can do the project — build three new elementary schools and renovate two middle schools — without any additional cost to taxpayers. Not a penny — if the math is right. And from our layman’s perspective it looks like it is. In fact, the district would end up with less debt service than it has now.
How could that happen?
Well, some might say the stars are aligned correctly. By that we mean the district’s long-term debt will come off the books in 2015, which translates into $4 million worth of loan payments a year that will go away. While borrowing $152 million to do the project will yield annual debt service of $9.6 million, that number will be offset by reduced costs. A total of seven buildings would be closed, which would reduce maintenance and utility costs to the tune of more than a half-million dollars annually; then add in deferred maintenance savings of more than a quarter-million dollars; plus, so-called “staffing efficiencies” — fewer district workers and administrators for fewer schools — and you end up with more than $3.5 million in savings. Then there’s the nearly $1.4 million the state would kick in each year for construction costs.
Do the math and you end up with annual debt service of $3.87 million, which is nearly $213,000 less than the $4 million the district pays now.
When you figure that the district can put all of its elementary and middle school students into new and renovated schools without raising taxes and also without increasing debt payments — in fact, annual debt service would be lowered — the question of whether officials should go ahead with the plan seems like a no-brainer. Likewise, citizens should give the plan their blessing.
Taxpayers will get their opportunity to tell school board members and administrators what they think at next week’s public meeting on the issue: 7-10 p.m. Feb. 12, at the Benjamin Franklin School on Mill Creek Road in Levittown. If you go — and you should — take a close look at the slides officials will present as evidence of the schools’ awful conditions — conditions that renovations cannot reverse at a lower cost than building new. And also bring a calculator so you can add up the numbers yourself.
Said one official in a recent meeting with our editorial board, “It makes all the sense in the world to go in this direction.” No argument here.
Look, we understand that $152 million is a huge number. And that the project would encumber the district with many more years of new debt. But the fact is, the community has an obligation to provide its children with an education in facilities that are capable of housing today’s education programs — and that are safe. The other thing is, the district’s enrollment numbers are going up and will continue to go up.
So if you care about the schools and, more importantly, the children attending those schools, you’ll reach the same conclusion that skeptical members of our editorial board reached: How can you not do this?
Where did this editorial board come from???
Schizophrenia?
But when Morrisville proposed a project to replace aging schools with a state of the art facility that would have reduced operating costs over the long term, NO - Stop the tax and spenders. This will ruin Morrisville! Now we have all these kids jammed into two aging and high maintenance facilities that don't have any of the advantages of modern thinking and design, but hey, at least the Stop the School mentality brought us the likes of Hellman and company, so we now have a new boogeyman to vilify for all our woes. Sandy Gibson and Ken Junkins can sit back and relax, especially as they both moved away after their "disastrous" reigns. SNARK!
August 2007
“It spells disaster,” Councilman Stephen Worob said of having young schoolchildren walking and teenage students driving to the same school.
"When you figure that the district can put all of its elementary and middle school students into new and renovated schools without raising taxes and also without increasing debt payments — in fact, annual debt service would be lowered — the question of whether officials should go ahead with the plan seems like a no-brainer."
Then there's Morrisville. A plan comes before council to make the borough buildings more energy efficient, bring new streetlights to the entire borough, etc without raising taxes and actually lowering the costs in the future - 3 council people vote no.
They are auditiong for the sequel of Jim Carrey's Yes Man movie. Morrisville's version is called No Man.
On a brighter note the Morrisville Marching Band will be performing at the Trenton Titans hockey game this Friday 2/8/13. National Anthem at 6:55pm, other performances at halftime and throughout the night in the stands keeping everyone pumped up. $12 pp at the doors, come out for a family night that is reasonable and close by.
Careless smoking damages Morrisville home
Posted: Wednesday, February 6, 2013 3:43 pm | Updated: 7:00 pm, Wed Feb 6, 2013.
by George Mattar
MORRISVILLE — A fire caused by careless smoking damaged a room inside a Morrisville home early Wednesday.
No one was injured, said Morrisville Fire Co. Chief Matt Weidenhaefer.
The fire was reported at 5:35 a.m. in the 200 block of N. Lafayette Street.
He said a lit cigarette set furniture and personal items afire.
He said his company was assisted by the Falls Fire Co. The chief said the fire was quickly contained.
What what what?????????
School rebuilding plan makes financial sense
Story
Posted: Thursday, February 7, 2013 5:00 am | Updated: 7:34 am, Thu Feb 7, 2013.
Anyone who owns an old home knows all too well that maintenance costs are a continual drain. Worse, the inevitable need to replace windows, roofing, utilities, siding — the list goes on and on — forces a choice between investing in the old place or buying new for some homeowners.
Such is the situation confronting the Neshaminy School District. The cost of maintaining its old buildings has grown prohibitive. And most of those buildings are underutilized, some significantly. What’s more, if the buildings are to remain in operation on a long-term basis, they’ll need some $40 million in repairs, renovations and upgrades.
School board members and administrators have been wrestling with the question of whether to sink the necessary tens of millions of dollars into the old buildings as a means of stemming the growing maintenance costs and providing adequate facilities for today’s technology-driven education programs. They think they have the answer.
Over the course of many meetings — all open to the public — the board’s school consolidation citizens advisory committee has signed off on a plan that calls for closing three elementary schools and building a new super school. This would provide estimated annual savings of more than $2 million. That includes mostly cuts in support and professional staff plus reductions in utility and maintenance expenses.
The cost of building a new school is estimated at about $35 million. Construction would be paid for by borrowing $50 million, a transaction that would include refinancing existing debt at today’s lower interest rates. This would enable the district to build the new school and also do upgrades at the five remaining elementary schools.
All without additional cost to taxpayers; in other words, no new taxes. Board members are calling it a “revenue neutral’’ plan, which as best as we can tell is accurate.
Nonetheless, some taxpayers are skeptical. At this week’s school board meeting some of those well-meaning and concerned citizens voiced their objections. They accused the board of speeding the project through the review process and pressed members to place the project on the ballot for citizens to decide.
We understand citizens’ concerns. Times are tough and borrowing $50 million in a down economy seems to fly in the face of prudent financial thinking. Ironically, because times are tough interest rates are low and so it’s a good time to borrow. Money is cheap.
And as far as the review process goes, the “citizens advisory committee,” which counts among its members only one school board director, has met in an open forum over many months. More meetings are to be held by the board before voting on the committee’s recommendation to go ahead with the plan — a recommendation favored by 10 of the committee’s 12 members.
And so we encourage citizens to attend those coming meetings but to do so with an open mind. And while we believe that public awareness and involvement is important, we don’t think this issue should be determined at the ballot box. School board members already were chosen at the ballot box and they have demonstrated a responsible effort to make an informed and wise decision. We believe they are more than capable of doing that. And in our view they should vote Yes.
Yes, it makes sense when someone else is doing it, just not Morrisville. The BCCT editorial board is a joke of inconsistency.
"Careless smoking damages Morrisville home"
Bounder Ah good morning. I'm Bounder of Adventure.
Tourist My name is Smoke-Too-Much.
Bounder What?
Tourist My name is Smoke-Too-Much. Mr Smoke-Too-Much.
Bounder Well you'd better cut down a little then.
Tourist What?
Bounder You'd better cut down a little then.
Tourist Oh I see! Cut down a bit, for Smoke-Too-Much.
Bounder Yes, he he...I expect you get people making jokes about your name all the time, eh?
Tourist No, no actually. Actually, it never struck me before. Smoke...too...much!
So many smoke shops in town, I started smoking last week. Some people don't mind, they don't even care if I burn.
Do you mind if I smoke?
Why no, do you mind if I fart? It's a habit, but I'm trying to cut down. They have a special section for me in restaurants.
Man stabs Dunkin' Donuts worker with screwdriver
Posted: Thursday, February 7, 2013 7:00 am | Updated: 5:52 pm, Thu Feb 7, 2013.
by George Mattar
MORRISVILLE — A man dove over a counter Tuesday and stabbed a Dunkin' Donuts employee and made off with cash.
The incident was reported at 10:35 p.m. at the corner of South Pennsylvania Avenue and West Bridge Street, said Morrisville Acting Chief Lt. Tom Herron.
The suspect, a balding, white male with brown hair, about 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighing 185 pounds, parked a car at the gas pumps, went in and dove over the counter, police said.
Armed with a screwdriver, he stabbed the employee in the hand and took an undetermined amount of money, police said.
The suspect, who was wearing all dark clothing, got into a blue or black four-door sedan and drove off. The car possibly has New Jersey plates.
Police said the employee was injured, but it was not life-threatening.
The B.A.L. Cheer competition scheduled for Saturday 2/9/2013 at MHS has been postponed. There is no make-up day as of yet. please pass on
Per
John Hubiak Jr.
Morrisville High School
Athletic Director
(215) 736-2681 ext. 3973
NOTICE, TONIGHT'S TRENTON TITANS HOCKEY GAME, WHERE MORRISVILLE MARCHING BAND WAS PERFORMING, HAS BEEN MOVED TO MARCH 7TH. PLEASE PASS ON
Tonight, 7pm, LGI at High School, Morrisville Education committee public meeting. Be sure to come out and get caught up on the items on the table for consideration and talk through pros and cons with your neighbors. This is your time to be a part of the process.
Wednesday, 2/13 7pm LGI is the Superintendents Public meeting. Parents, have a question about anything going on in district, in your son/daugthers class? etc.
talk one on one with the Super and get information first hand.
Casual environment, you set the agenda with your questions. Bring another parent with you.
Thursday, 2/14/13, PTO Family night at Grandview. 7pm come out and celebrate Valentines day with your family.
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