Villadom Times Weekly Newpaper Online-November 9, 2011 Issue

Ho-Ho-Kus November 9, 2011 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 3 School ofﬁcials consider ﬁeld maintenance options by Jennifer Crusco Ho-Ho-Kus Public School officials are currently reviewing their options for maintenance of the North Field, which is bounded on two sides by Hollywood Avenue and Route 17. The field, which has been owned by the board of education since 1966, has been maintained by the borough since 2001. Recently, borough officials advised the school board that, due to a manpower shortage in the Ho-Ho-Kus Department of Public Works, the borough can no longer maintain North Field. Ho-Ho-Kus Borough Administrator Don Cirulli, who commented on the situation following a brief discussion at the last council meeting, said, “We’ve been cooperating with the school on maintenance, but we’re shorthanded and can’t continue to do this.” Cirulli noted that the borough’s maintenance of the field has chiefly consisted of lawn care. “We have six people at the DPW plus the two superintendents, for a total of eight employees,” Cirulli added. “We’re short two to three men. They all work hard. We have a great group of guys.” However, asked about the prospects of adding to the DPW staff, Cirulli said that situation was unlikely. “The state is putting terrible pressure on us, budgetwise,” he noted. Ho-Ho-Kus Superintendent Deborah Ferrara noted that the district is discussing the maintenance issue with the Ho-Ho-Kus Recreation Commission, which also uses the field. “We are also shorthanded here,” Ferrara noted last week, explaining that a school custodian recently left the district. The superintendent noted that the district is looking into various options, including working with a local landscaper. The property, she said, takes several hours to maintain. Ho-Ho-Kus Board of Education President Ellen Walsh said the board has asked the administration to look into the costs of various options, including a private landscaper. Asked about the possibility of donated volunteer labor, Walsh said that could be an option. “We are looking for creative ways to get this done,” she acknowledged. Ho-Ho-Kus Recreation Director Edward Gartner noted that the public school, the Ho-Ho-Kus Recreation Commission, and Ho-Ho-Kus/Saddle River Recreation use the North Field for baseball, softball, lacrosse, soccer, and field hockey. He said the field is used nearly every day. In recent years, the North Field became a major component of the borough’s community flood mitigation plan, which allows the field to be used as a retention area for storm water until that water can drain into the Saddle River. In 2009, Ho-Ho-Kus Borough Engineer David Hals of Schwanewede Hals Engineering in Oakland, provided the Ho-Ho-Kus Council with drawings for the project, which addressed the construction phases, and soil erosion and sediment control. The site was leveled and the raised tennis courts were removed. A multi-purpose field and a new softball field were then created on the property. An engineering error made in the 1930s reportedly exacerbated the flooding problem in that area, since the culverts installed at Route 17 and West Saddle River Road were at the same elevation. This situation caused the local stream to fill with silt, adding to the water problems, borough officials said. In the 1970s, plans for a multi-sport complex and parking at the field were drawn up, but no action was taken. In 1978, the school board agreed to lease several acres at the north end of the field to the borough. The tennis courts were constructed, and former Police Chief Robert Re was reportedly the first to have played a game there. Students in the K-8 Ho-Ho-Kus Public School could soon be wearing a “uniform” of sorts. The board of education recently surveyed the parents of district students and will discuss the results of that questionnaire at its Nov. 15 public meeting. Ho-Ho-Kus School Board President Ellen Walsh said there are several arguments for requiring similar clothes for students. “The number one argument is safety,” Walsh said, explaining that, if everyone is dressed within certain guidelines, it becomes easy to identify anyone who might not belong in the school building. She pointed out that the goal is not to send students to a particular store, but rather to ask students to come to school in a designated style of dress. As an example, Walsh said students might be asked to wear khaki pants or skirts with polo shirts in navy or white. “We’re still working on the ideas,” she added. Another argument for uniforms, Walsh said, is that they help foster a sense of school pride and spirit, and put students in the right frame of mind for the school day. District mulls school uniform option The board president added that a uniform would obviate the pressure of having students try to dress in the same brands of clothing, and potential bullying any student who might be dressed differently than his or her peers. Asked about the origin of the school uniform suggestion, Walsh said, “It’s something the board has been talking about on and off for years because it comes to us from parents who have various frustrations.” She explained that some parents tell their children not to wear a particular article of clothing to school, only to find that other students do dress in similar items. “As a group, the board thought now would be a good time (to suggest uniforms),” Walsh added, noting that other districts have implemented a uniform policy and have been pleased with the outcome. “Nothing has been decided,” Walsh stressed. Those who oppose school uniforms assert that students who are required to wear similar clothes will still form cliques and some students may receive the message that conformity is necessary for people to get along with each other. J. CRUSCO ��