Park service warns of construction issues

WESTFALL — The federal government appears to be another player complicating district officials’ efforts to replace or renovate the Delaware Valley Elementary School. John J. Donahue, superintendent of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, has warned the district that there will be federal opposition, if recently publicized proposals go forward. The National Park Service will “strenuously oppose any multi-story building effort that has visual impacts on park lands ...” he wrote in a Jan. 23 letter to the district. Another issue is an increase in population density that could require additional sewerage capacity. “In all of our correspondence regarding this issue we have pointed out that the existing waste water facility at Delaware Valley ... is not adequate to address long term expansion goals.” DVES Principal Sonya Cole, who recently announced her August retirement, and other staff members, have lobbied heavily for replacement of the building, which is the oldest on the Westfall campus. Two attempts by the majority of the last board of education to purchase nearby property for a new school failed. New property purchases were viewed as wasteful by opponents of that board, who went on to win a majority of seats on the new board last November. Since then, John Kupillas, who was named chair of the board’s long-range planning committee has completed a walk-through and interview with building faculty and staff. He reported positively on the condition of the existing building. Kupillas proposed consideration of a second-floor addition to the existing building, consulted with architects and ordered concept drawings. Conceptually, the second story would replace the neighboring administration building, which could become a playground or other open space. Opponents have argued that the campus is already overpopulated. Construction would need to be done with students on the property. The loss of heavily used playground space to new construction has been a principal argument against expanding on the campus. The campus is not in the area of lands authorized by Congress for the park, but lands on the New Jersey shore are included. Kupillas noted Donahue’s letter in February, but the board did not discuss the issues he raised beyond noting that their student population is not increasing. Donahue said he received a reply from board President Bob Goldsack, thanking him for his letter. In a Wednesday interview, Donahue said he admired the board’s efforts to keep taxpayers costs down. He said the new board is airing new ideas, with the hope of saving money, but this may not be the way. “We appreciate their concerns and I don’t want them going down any primrose path ... I wanted to let them know before they spent a lot of money, “ he told the Courier. A recently authorized increase to the capacity of the Westfall Township sewerage plant was approved with the understanding that it would handle new output from sites along the US Route 6/209 corridor, including the school district, Donahue said. “They would need to attach to the Westfall plant,” he added. But the only current expansion of the Westfall plant involves service to the Katz property, which resulted from the township’s loss of a mutimillion dollar lawsuit by the developer. The district had twice planned to build in Milford Township. Those plans did not meet with warm receptions from township officials. Nonetheless, supervisor’s Chair Don Quick was critical of Donahue’s position on the school expansion. Quick said numerous ridgeline structures have been built without Park Service comment. He scofffed at Donahue’s reference in his letter regarding park service cooperation with other state and federal agencies to develop a regional point sewerage plan. “Their input has been ‘against, against, against,’” he said. Donahue said his position was set in the law. “Water quality in the Delaware is one of our most important issues. It is protected by law. We have a mandate to insure it and we will take any action we have to, to honor that mandate,” he said.