Citing what he called a “crisis situation” regarding overcrowded classrooms, North Bergen Superintendent of Schools Peter Fischbach, along with several other officials, formally introduced the plan to build a new high school within the confines of North Hudson-Braddock Park by the year 2005. The plan calls for a $60 million facility located at the northwest corner of the park, which will ease the problems of overflowing classes. All seven of the township’s schools are currently operating beyond capacity. The plan was introduced at a press conference last Monday at Board of Education headquarters. “Due to our growing enrollment where every classroom is in excess of 30 students, we have been looking for every space that is available and converted those spaces into temporary classrooms,” Fischbach said. “We would like to see North Bergen continue to meet the academic standards. However, when the student population becomes excessive, something has to be done.” Fischbach said that he has been a proponent of building a new high school in the township for the past 25 years. But there has never been a greater need for one than now, as cafeterias, multi-purpose rooms, gymnasiums and auditoriums are being turned into makeshift classrooms due to overflowing enrollments. “The only way to meet the needs would be to add a new building,” he said. “It’s the only way to address the overcrowding situation.” Board of Education President Ulises Diaz also realizes that the situation has become unmanageable. “We are currently 2,000 students over capacity,” he said. “The board has been working to relieve these problems as best as we can. But we’ve reached a point where we’re using recreation areas as classrooms. Something has to be done.” Jorge Prado, principal of Horace Mann Elementary School, oversees the most overcrowded school in the district. “Every year, we’re in excess of 30 to 50 percent of what the building is supposed to hold,” he said. “And the number of students continues to grow. I have major concerns over the years to come. We have no empty space at all in our school. Every inch of physical space possible is being used as a classroom. We have some classrooms with 35 students.” Ivonne Saavedra has two sons who attend Horace Mann. “I believe something should be done,” she said. “The classes have become too large and my son tells me that it’s very hard for him to concentrate with so many children in the classroom.” Fischbach reiterated that the problem lies within all the schools. “When you have overcrowding in all seven buildings, then it’s a major problem,” he said. “It’s not just one building. The overcrowding can start to affect programs throughout the district. Plus, all of the buildings are more than 40 years old and they were not built for modern technology.” The simple solution would be the construction of a new high school and then the transformation of the old high school into a middle school. However, the construction of the new high school, currently assessed at approximately $60 million, is not going to come easily. Will come up for vote Any type of massive construction will need approval from Hudson County, which owns and operates the park. It will also need approval from the taxpayers of North Bergen. It will appear on a municipal ballot in the near future, probably by the elections in November. That is why a campaign is underway, spearheaded by a mass-mailing of a bilingual newsletter, plus an informative video presentation that will be aired on local cable television’s public access channels. The campaign is set to inform the people of the township about the plan for the new high school. “We’ve assembled a group that will attack the issue,” Fischbach said. “A plan has been developed that will have the least amount of impact on the community. It will be beneficial to the county, to the township of North Bergen, to the children of North Bergen, to the taxpayers.” Fischbach said that the Board of Education will seek feedback from the community in a comprehensive approach. At Monday’s press conference, architect Grace Lynch unveiled the plan. It will enable the new high school to have easy access to the current athletic facilities in the park, as well as others to be constructed. The new high school will be built using the least amount of park space as possible. “This site offers a great amount of potential and has some built-in advantages,” Lynch said last week. “Some of the areas of ample recreation are already in place. It will affect very little of the park. It provides a safe and compatible environment. It’s a fantastic project and I love the location.” Joseph A. Martin, a management consultant, said that other sites were examined throughout the township, but none offered the opportunity like the park. “We didn’t arrive at the site in North Hudson Park quickly,” he said. “We had a careful and rigorous review of all the sites. We looked at the Light Rail parking lot on Tonnelle Avenue, the recreation site on 64th Street, the site of the Caldor shopping plaza, and we looked at 58th Street and Kennedy Boulevard. But none of those sites met the criteria for the best location, best accessibility, for student safety and for transportation.” Gary Vinci, from the auditing firm of Lurch, Vinci and Higgins, studied the finances of the proposed project. “If we went somewhere else, it would add an additional $15-$20 million in cost, in terms of acquiring property, demolition if there was anything on the site, environmental cleanup,” he said. “We’re looking at the one that will have the least amount of impact on the taxpayers. We will aggressively seek state and federal funding, as well as low interest loans.” Vinci said that approximately one-third of the cost of the project would immediately come from state aid, but it is too early to project how much of a burden will fall into the laps of the taxpayers. “Without knowing what other forms of funding we can receive, it’s too early to know,” he said. “I envision the majority of the cost of the project will come from outside the township,” Fischbach said. A major obstacle against the project will be the permission to build on the land owned by the county. “To successfully develop this project, we need a partnership of a lot of people,” Martin said. “I’m confident that Hudson County will see that we have a need and work out some sort of deal.” There is talk of a land swap of Green Acres land in Secaucus that can be used for an open parking space. “Since we’re in the preliminary stages, we’re seeking support and reaction right now more than anything,” Fischbach said. “No approval has come in terms of land trades. There have been inquiries as to preserve open space for parkland and those inquiries have been equal space, if not more, than what presently exists. We just have to see how the township answers.” Fischbach said that he hopes to have an idea of how the residents feel about the proposal by late April. If the plan moves forward, Lynch believes that the school could be built and opened within four years. “I’ve always been a dreamer,” Fischbach said. “Do I think it can happen? The answer is yes.”