The Concerned Citizens Association of Farmingdale (CCAF), cordially invites the entire Farmingdale community to its meeting on Thursday, Nov. 18 at 7:30 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Allen Park Community Center located on Motor Avenue.

The Farmingdale Public Schools Assistant Superintendent of Schools John Lorentz and members of the Facilities Assessment Advisory Committee will be on hand to inform the community about the Nov. 23 bond referendum for $49,965,000.

The bond referendum proposes a plan of action that addresses capital improvements, rehabilitation and upgrades to building infrastructure systems considered to be of the highest priority. This is detailed in the architect and the Facilities Assessment Advisory Committee reports. The entire community should have a full understanding of what our schools need or do not need. CCAF urges you to come out and ask questions so we can all make an informed decision on Nov. 23. An informed vote is the best vote.

Over a year ago, the board of education set in motion, a process to study the capital improvement needs of the district's six school buildings - buildings that are 40-50 years old and still operate with many of the original infrastructure systems. The process included an in-depth analysis of each school building by a professional architectural firm; a six-month, building-by-building review of the architect's findings by a 32-member Facilities Assessment Advisory Committee made up of concerned community members; and the board of education's own study and review of the architect and advisory committee reports, including tours of each building to see the conditions first-hand. The culmination of this process is the bond referendum that will be put before Farmingdale residents on Nov. 23.

In large measure, the referendum follows the recommendations of the Facilities Assessment Advisory Committee, initially presented to the Board of Education on March 31 and then again on Sept. 8 and Oct. 6. This recommendation focuses on replacements and upgrades to the aging buildings.

Both of these reports note that there are additional capital improvements that should be addressed by the district in the future. Over the years, the district has included money in the annual operating budget for some capital improvement projects and basic repairs. However, after close to 50 years for some of our schools, the aging process has taken its toll. For many of these infrastructure systems, such as windows, boilers, doors, heating, lighting and ventilating systems, the added benefits of new technology and efficiencies make replacement significantly more cost-effective than continued repair. The referendum also provides for the replacement and upgrades to plumbing and roof drainage systems; exterior site work; masonry restorations; the replacement of ceiling, asbestos flooring, ventilation, lighting and electrical systems in classrooms for improved learning conditions; replacement of original window systems at the High School and Howitt West Middle School and work related to ADA compliance at each of the district's six school buildings that could not be accomplished through the previous bond referendum or past annual budgets. It is important to note that Farmingdale, unlike many other school districts, routinely funded capital projects in each budget until state aid rules changed, creating a strong incentive to finance capital work through bond.

Concerned Citizens Association of Farmingdale Executive Board