Cranbury wants to move township library out of local school

[Guest]

CRANBURY — Since 1924, township residents have borrowed books from a public library housed inside their K-8 school’s library — a unique set-up of only a few libraries in New Jersey.

http://www.nj.com/news/local/index.ssf/2010/12/cranbury_wants_to_move_townshi.html

[Guest]

"...
Jones, whose sixth-grade son attends Cranbury School, said she doesn’t want the library to leave.

Her son Owen and other students do homework at the on-site public library after school.
Parents will be warier about sending their kids off site, said Jones.
..."


I am in agreement with Jones. This is the best feature of our library: collocated with the school.

[Guest]

I'd like to see the library strengthen ties to the school. For example, every day 30 kids are in after school care in the cafeteria. Perhaps the library could offer after-school workshops in conjunction with the PTO programs.

[Guest]

Whether the public library is in its current location or in its new location, it can offer a place for students after school and it can continue to offer after school programs.

[Guest]

I agree. As far as the as the school goes, it can continue to offer the same things it is currently offering AND it can offer more to the whole communinty in a new location where everyone feels welcome.... right now, not everyone feels like they belong in the school.

[Robert Zurfluh]

I think the proposed site is next to the current tennis courts. If a sidewalk/path can be extended from the new gym all the way around then kids can continue to go there after school with no worries of them crossing the parking lot.

[Guest]

Sems counter productive to me. You're talking about spending millions to consturct a new building a few hundred feet from the current one, still in the school parking lot, all so that some people can "feel more comfortable" (note, not that they can't use it now, just that you are easing their psychological discomfort) about using it.

And the proposed site would probably be better used making an extension of the parking lot that allows one way exiting out onto Park Place so they could fix the dangerous traffic congestion in the parking lot.

That said, if a bunch of people want to donate every last dime it takes to do a new Library and if the same group pledges on the record never to need any budget increases for operations or upkeep so this never contributes a cent to tax increases, hey, more power to them. That is the American way. I just remain skeptical they really could make those pledges.

[??]

[Guests]

Does someone know where the funds for this New Library will come from? If its from higher taxes and not private funding I'm very much against that option. If someone "wants" a First Class Library we can use the new Plainsboro Library and the Middlesex county bus will gladly take those who don't drive. Its time those individuals who want everything spend their money for these "WANTS".

[Guest]

The Cranbury Public Library website spells it all out. They want to raise the funds privately so there is no increase in taxes.
The school library will continue to exist and will be even better without security worries. The students can use the whole library and the learning experience can be enhanced.
The public library can then serve the whole community with meeting areas for seniors, enhanced quiet reading areas for adults, and a separate children's area for young families with preschoolers that sometimes can't access the children's section in our current library due to the school use.
Oh, and the master plan has both the library and a public parking lot on it, as well as that proposed one way road extending from Park Place West.

[Guest]

I would classify a blue ribbon school as a "want" not a need....
so it all depends.

[Guest]

[Guest]

[Guest]

A blue ribbon school generates property values as many people look at the schools first as they have kids. That is why a home in Cranbury is worth more than East Windsor.

Now do I think we should make cuts in the budget? Perhaps. I have voted no many times. However, I am also of the opinion that some investment does need to be made to keep the school at a high level as it has been for the last 50 years at least.

[Guest]

A vast majority of the people who move to Cranbury do so specifically for the school. That is the main reason we have the highest property values in Middlesex County. That is why our school budgets pass by wide margins even in hard times. If the school ever was consolidated with one of those in neighboring townships or was substantially reduced in quality people would start leaving and property values would plummet.

Since we haven't had a stand alone library to date it can't be claimed it is similarly important.

I can understand that the financial focus on school would be frustrating to someone who has lived here their whole life or for multiple generations and has no kids but for anyone else it is silly because either they moved here once upon a time for the schools or they at least should have understood they were moving into a Township where the school was the focus of our taxes.

And we don't spend more than the state average anyway. We would have to start spending below average for the state to hurt our schools and that would be epically foolish.

[Guest]

I keep hearing the issue of school security being raised. My question is, how hard is it to improve security at the library during school hours? If necessary, we could have a security guard at the library door during school hours for $10k-$15k per year.