The Villadom Times Weekly Newspaper Online-Oct 6, 2010 Issue

Waldwick October 6, 2010 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 3 All-day kindergarten concept held for further review All-day kindergarten will not be instituted in Waldwick’s public schools any time soon, school officials say, but the issue is not dead, and the district currently reviewing all options to make it a reality. “The better prepared the children are in kindergarten, the better they do as they progress through the grades, and there is so much more now that the children need to be prepared for,” said Waldwick Board of Education President Patricia Levine. “There isn’t enough classroom time in a half day, and we don’t have the money or the space for a full day. We are doing what we can, prioritizing our short-range and long-term goals, but the less money we have, the harder it gets,” she added. Resident Ann Marie Trimmer asked if there were a problem with kindergarten, noting that since so many children attend nursery school, they should be well prepared for kindergarten. Superintendent of Schools Dr. Patricia Raupers said the state has increased curricular standards for kindergarten and that the district is looking at all options on how to meet them. “We don’t know how the children will do with these new requirements. We don’t know what to expect until the implementation of the new curriculum,” Dr. Raupers said. “We’re in the brainstorming stage.” In late 2009, Waldwick’s school officials were actively planning to bring an all-day kindergarten program to the district as early as September 2011. The key to the program was the construction of a new, $5 million building on the grounds of the Traphagen School. The plan was to replace Building 11, essentially two side-by-side trailers, located on Summit Avenue. Dr. Robert Penna, who was superintendent at that time, explained that the district did not believe it would be wise to put more money into repairing those trailers. He indicated that the district wanted to replace Building 11 with a new building to be constructed on the Traphagen playground area. The playground was to have been moved to the basketball court area. An architectural drawing from Joseph DiCara of DiCara Rubino indicated where everything would have been placed. The $5 million, Dr. Penna said, would come from capital improvement funds, rather than a new bond issue. The superintendent noted that there are funds budgeted for renovations in the district’s schools each year. The funds for the new construction would be diverted from the renovation budget. He had anticipated a state grant for the project and a savings for the district as the board hired new staff members for less (continued on page 10) �� After trying for two years to get funding from President Barack Obama’s economic stimulus package, the Borough of Waldwick has been awarded a low-interest loan to tackle two major capital projects. One project would replace the aging water tanks on Wyckoff Avenue in Wyckoff; the other would replace or repair sewer lines to attack inflow and infiltration (I&I) problems. The combined projects are estimated to run $1,415,000. “We’re ecstatic about being part of the program and being able to take care of long-standing problems of the borough,” said Borough Administrator Gary Kratz. Stimulus loan to fund projects The interest on the loan is expected to be about 2 percent, he said. The borough did not make the cut in January, 2009 on its original application for either a grant or a loan, and resubmitted its application for 2010 allocations. “We showed perseverance on it, and submitted what we thought was a good application, and we were successful,” Kratz said. The two deteriorating steel tanks, one of World War II vintage and the other dating back to 1953, will be replaced with a 680gallon concrete tank, similar to the one erected in 1999. The job is expected to take (continued on page 10) �� Allen A. Ghorashi, DDS 545 Island Road, Suite #1A Ramsey, New Jersey 07446 201-818-6565 �� Preventive, Restorative and Implant Dentistry for Children and Adults. All Phases of Dentistry including Porcelain Crowns and tooth colored restorations. Financing and payment options available. Visit our website at ramseysmile.com for more information and make an appointment to explore the opportunities to improve your smile. �� HOLMGREN’S BLACK BELT ACADEMY 240 W. Crescent Ave • Allendale, NJ • 07401 6-16-10 joan/janine ValleyDental3x3(6-16-10) 3 x 3” rev2 �� 201-962-2922 �� MARTIN HOLMGREN � � � � �� 4TH DEGREE BLACK BELT MASTER IS PROUD TO PRESENT A STATE OF THE ART FACILITY OFFERING CLASSES FOR CHILDREN & ADULTS www.holmgrensblackbeltacademy.com