Five Things You Need to Know About the March 13 Referendum

Tuesday, March 13, is voting day on a referendum to replace roofs at , and schools; fire alarm upgrades for , Roland Rogers and Smithville; and repairs to the storm water drainage system at Arthur Rann Elementary School.

1. The roofs at Roland Rogers and Smithville elementary schools are the original roofs (both 20 years old), while Arthur Rann is capped by roofs that are multiple years old (the building itself is 40-plus, having had multiple additions added to the structure to accommodate a growing student population at the time). These roofs have reached their "end of life" and need replacing for the health and safety of the students. The total cost of these replacements is $5,677,500

2. The fire detection systems at Reeds Road, Roland Rogers and Smithville schools are over 23 years old and antiquated when compared to newer technology. The newer fire systems are more accurate, allowing responders to pinpoint troubled areas faster and safer.

Although the systems currently used in these buildings are working, they are only able to address zones (a zone in a building cover approximately 10 or so classrooms, bathrooms, storage closets, office space etc.)

Think of it like a set of holiday lights: if one bulb is out, an entire section is out. Having new systems would allow us to find the "bad bulb" right away. As you know in the case of a fire, seconds are everything - the faster you can find the problem, the faster you can suppress it and possibly save lives. The total cost of this project is $948,750.

3. Simply put, even with a light rain, the parking lot at Arthur Rann floods to the point that it is unsafe to drive through. Not only do staff members park in this section of the lot, but busses line up here to drop children off before school and pick them up after school - and the staff does not like having to direct them right through the middle of "Lake Rann" (as staff have come to refer to it). To fix this, the district need to make major repairs to the drainage system underneath the parking lot, totaling $356,250

4. This is a 15-year bond; re-payment on the first five years for a home assessed at $200,000 would be $28.80 in year one; $26 in year two; $23.20 in year three; $20.80 in year four; and -$17.20 in year five. You can calculate the impact on your home using the "Tax Impact Calculator" found on the district website: www.gtps.k12.nj.us.

5. Polls are open 7 a.m.-9 p.m. on Tuesday, March 13. Polling locations are: Districts 1, 8, 9 and 14-Smithville Elementary School;

Districts 2, 4 and 13-Germania Fire House;

Districts 3, 6 and 15-Arthur Rann Elementary School;

Districts 5, 7 and 16-Pomona Preschool;and

Districts 10, 11, 12 and 17-Roland Rogers Elementary School.

All information for this story was provided by the Galloway Township School District.