11/03/2017
The Truth About the Stadium:
Tom Mosier, Mark Okamoto and Bob Opitz are running for Board of Education against a team of incumbents. All 3 of us have previously served on the Piscataway Board of Education. We are again seeking that distinction, as we feel that the current Board of Education has put their own political interests ahead of the District. One example of this is the plan for a new athletic stadium at the High School. Please note, the three of us are in favor of making the necessary repairs to the athletic facilities to keep our students and guests safe.
In August 2016, the current Board of Education commissioned the drafting of plans for a massive overhaul of our current athletic facilities. While some improvements are required, the plans were extravagant, at best. These plans were drafted and approved by the Board of Education. There was no community involvement in the development of these plans. In September 2016, the Board of Education approved the submission of the plans to the State of New Jersey.
In October 2016, the plans were unveiled to a large group of “stakeholders.” It was not until November 2016, months after the plans were submitted to the state, that an Ad Hoc committee was put together to review the details of the plans that were already submitted. This committee included many groups – the band, soccer club and PHS Booster Club (which Bob and Mark are officers for). This was NOT an approval committee, but one to help define the details of how the various groups would use the facilities and their needs within the predefined plans submitted by the Board of Education to the New Jersey State Department of Education.
In these Ad-Hoc meetings concerns were raised about the costs and the scope of the project. Those concerns were not taken into consideration. After the issue was brought up in the June Primary Election, the committee met again, at which point the question was asked again if we should simply focus on the needed repairs and work within the District budget. That too was shut down. Then, in August of this year, the Board of Education met to approve a slightly scaled back plan moving forward with the stadium expansion for a SECOND time.
Just weeks ago, with the public pressure mounting, the current Board of Education WITHDREW their plans for the new athletic facility at this time. They did not REJECT the plans.
Now the question becomes, what do we do about the necessary repairs that are needed for our athletic facilities? According to the Board of Education, they are not able to make decisions on capital improvements without seeking town approval. That is exactly what they were elected to do. Since people are concerned about the tax impact of the extravagant stadium dreamed up by the current Board of Education, they will now allow our students to continue to play on dilapidated surfaces, putting them at increased risk for injury. Why would they do this? Because these repairs won’t win any awards or gain any recognition from people other than those who use the facilities.
Just so we are clear, Tom Mosier, Mark Okamoto and Bob Opitz are for making necessary repairs to our facilities, especially when they are needed to improve the safety of our students, spectators and guests. We are not in favor of creating a monument to the Board of Education at the taxpayer’s expense. We ask for your vote for 1 – 2 – 6 (Mosier, Okamoto, Opitz) for Board of Education on November 7, 2017. Help us bring common sense back to the Board of Education.
