FANWOOD — The Scotch Plains-Fanwood Board of Education is planning a series of information sessions to update residents about the September bond referendum which, if approved, would lead to the purchase of a new school building and also finance various upgrades to existing school facilities.

At the borough council’s meeting on Monday, Councilwoman Gina Berry spoke about the Tuesday, September 17 referendum, which will be split into two questions. The first will seek voter approval for an $81-million bond to finance the purchase and refurbishment of the 36,000-square-foot First Children School on La Grande Avenue, which was formerly a board of education building and, more recently, Children’s Specialized Hospital. Councilwoman Berry noted that it would be the first school in Fanwood in several decades and be used for pre-kindergarten through grade 5 classrooms.

“It would be great for our community,” she said, and would help to ease the overcrowding in the district’s elementary and middle schools.

The Scotch Plains-Fanwood Public Schools district had 5,544 students in the 2022-2023 school year, a sharp increase from the 5,320 students enrolled during the 20202021 school year, according to the state Department of Education.

The referendum’s second question will ask for approval of a $34million bond to finance upgrades to the HVAC and electrical systems in the district’s eight school buildings and also update the fire alarms in those facilities.

Councilwoman Berry said the state would finance $3.5 million of the building’s purchase price and $11.5 million of the cost of the proposed upgrades. The district has scheduled three public sessions to discuss the referendum: Tuesday, August 20, at 7 p.m., at the Forest Road Park building; Thursday, August 22, at 7 p.m., at Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School, and a virtual community forum on Monday, September 9, at 7 p.m. A website providing details about the referendum has been set up at sites.google.com/spfk12.org/future/ home.

Work on the new Fanwood Memorial Library building continues, with Councilman Jeffrey Banks predicting a grand opening around Fanny Wood Day on Sunday, September 15. A temporary certificate of occupancy was issued this week to allow items like books to be moved inside the new, $8.2-million facility and to finalize its interior layout. The copper roofing for the semi-circular area facing the corner of North Avenue and Tillotson Road was improperly installed and will have to be redone.

A bid was awarded for upgrades to the Forest Road Park building. According to Borough Engineer Antonios Panagopoulos, the $88,200 contract — which will be funded entirely with federal American Rescue Plan dollars — will involve installing a new 40kw generator and constructing an access door from the storage room to the main building.

It also was announced on Monday that after some 16 years with the borough, Mr. Panagopoulos will leave his position at the end of the month for a job in the private sector. Councilman Anthony Carter said, “all of us could sit here forever and laud you.” Council President Kathy Mitchell said she was “shocked and devastated” by the news of his impending departure, adding that she was “very glad that you came to Fanwood.” Mr. Panagopoulos thanked the mayor and council for the opportunity to work with the borough for so many years and said his new job was “a good opportunity for me and my family.”

The council issued two proclamations, one honoring Brian and Father David Santos, who were set to serve as co-grand marshals of the Memorial Day Parade that was cancelled due to rain, and another recognizing the 100th anniversary of the Kramer Manor neighborhood, which will be celebrated with a party on Saturday afternoon.

At the start of the meeting, a moment of silence was observed for Douglas Clausen, who served on the borough council in the mid-1980s and also ran for mayor. Mr. Clausen, who recently passed away at the age of 93, was a 50-year resident of Fanwood. He also was a longtime volunteer and a United States Air Force veteran.

On a separate matter, Council President Mitchell referenced the assassination attempt last Saturday against former President Donald Trump, remarking that although “we may disagree, we have to condemn political violence.”