Thursday, March 6, 2014

No Vacancy For Trinity Hall! Proposed Development Not A Fit For Historic Chapel Hill Neighborhood

The following blog post was submitted by Jennifer Valencia, a resident of Middletown's Chapel Hill area. Jennifer is a member of the Chapel Hill Neighborhood Group opposed to the choice of the Trinity Hall girls academy, to build its new school in their neighborhood, along Chapel Hill Road.  

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On March 19, 2014, the Middletown Township Planning Board will hold a third hearing concerning the application of Trinity Hall, LLC to subdivide a 67 acre tract of land on Chapel Hill Road and construct a high school campus on the lower 37 acres.

Not surprisingly there are two factions: the ones who think this is a bad idea, and the ones who think it is a good idea (namely the Applicant).

The folks who think this is a good idea have offered the following “facts” in support of that view (please note that the quotes below are just for emphasis). Those of us who think this is a bad idea are going to offer what we know as the actualities in response to those facts.

CLAIM: “If we don’t build a school there, 300 townhouses, some designated for low-income housing, will be built instead.”

TRUTH: In a word, no. Phone calls to the Planning Board to inquire as to the legitimacy of this statement were met with incredulity. One member told us that it was as likely the tract would be made “into a second Disneyland.”

CLAIM: “The plan was for a rock quarry first, before we came in and rescued the land with plans for a school.”

TRUTH: Of course, we diligently researched the issue and no, you cannot mine in a residential neighborhood.

CLAIM: “Our school is offering an education in the Catholic tradition.”

TRUTH: Possibly. But at this time, Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., of the Trenton Archdiocese, refuses to support Trinity Hall. He writes, “The school’s founders are using the expression, ‘in the Catholic tradition’ to describe Trinity Hall. That is not the same thing as being a ‘Catholic School’ and I simply want to make clear that this new institution is not affiliated with the Diocese of Trenton or our Office of Catholic Education.”

Yes, you heard right. This is not a Catholic school. It is also not an accredited school. It also has NO TRACK RECORD. What does this mean for the girls who attend the school? Their chances of graduating and being accepted to an upper echelon school is, at this time, an unknown commodity.

CLAIM: “Trinity Hall will preserve most of the open space and will also not develop approximately 30 acres leaving it undisturbed.”

TRUTH: Trinity supporters are claiming that the Applicant will preserve the large tract of land fronting Kings Highway. They circulated this claim wide and far. However, when residents asked them directly, at the first planning hearing, what they planned to do with this tract of land, THEY REFUSED TO ANSWER!

CLAIM: “75% of our student base will be bused in.”

TRUTH: This claim is extremely hard to believe. Half of Trinity’s projected 500 students will be of driving age. These are affluent students, whose parents will be paying more than $16,000 in tuition. You better believe they will have cars. Moreover, every student who is bused in must receive a stipend from the Township to the tune of $884.00 tax dollars a student. And that is this year’s going rate. By the time the school is built and these girls come a rollin’ in, you can bet that will go up. Do the math. 75% of 500 times $884 bucks….yeah, blows my mind too.

CLAIM:“We plan to build an access road from Stavola Road to the back edge of the school. This road will be a limited-use road, and will only be used by emergency vehicles. “

TRUTH: This access road will be squeezed in between two existing homes on Stavola Road. The construction of it alone with turn this once-quiet neighborhood into a construction vehicle circus. And will it truly be used for only “emergency vehicles” ? Or could it eventually become a cut-through for parents and students? Or, worst-case, for all the delivery trucks that might easily exceed the 4-ton limit on Chapel Hill Road and need an alternative route to access the school? Do we really want to find out?

CLAIM: “At the spot where we want to put the entrance to our school, Chapel Hill Road is only 19 feet wide.”

TRUTH: Yes, that is true. And why? Because no one ever intended a school to be built there. The road is narrow, winding…with hairpin turns and blind spots. It was the scene of 15 accidents in just 2012 alone.

So we must ask ourselves? Why is Trinity (the good neighbor that it claims to be) participating in such scare tactics and fear-mongering by spreading ridiculously false information? Answer: Because they are avoiding the truth. The truth is that the residents in the immediate Chapel Hill area, you know, the ones with all the “STOP TRINITY HALL DEVELOPMENT” signs on their lawns, the ones who attended the community meeting, do not want this school.

They vote, they pay taxes and they deserve to be safe in the neighborhood that we all love!


43 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Again Mike..This woman is a classic NIMBY..(not in my backyard) i have lived in Middletown for 30 yrs and continue to be amazed by folks like this. I have daughters and granddaughters and welcome this option for girls in Middletown and Monmouth County. People have discriminated for far too long against women and this effort in a few weak arguments that seem to be far from the "facts" as i have read them. It appears from the petition below that a few more people support the project other than the facts as presented my Miss Valencia.

Thanks , Tony D. Middletown circa 1982

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/chapel-hill-neighborhood-in-support-of-trinity

matt foley said...

weak arguments weak people are afraid to show their identity please you are not from here shut up go away

Unknown said...

That "petition" of yours was circulated inside Goldman Sachs and signed by folks like the Gmelichs - don't worry that "petition" will be explored in depth very soon! And no - I don't hate women

Unknown said...

That "petition" of yours was circulated around Goldman
Sachs and signed by the Gmelichs - don't worry - that "petition" will be explored in depth very shortly. And no - we don't hate women

Anonymous said...

I welcome the school and the possibility of having a top notch all girls school. This is a great town and after seeing how poorly our Board of Education has handled our schools, this school will add another great option for about 500 girls. I fully support this development.

Margie said...

Tony D.
I was living here when you were just a random thought in the heads of your parents. I have seen more and more of our precious space be eaten alive by the 'good intentions' of developers, construction companies, and politicians. It is time Middletown went back to the hands of the people who have had to live with the traffic, the waste, the noise pollution, and all the other lovely accouterments left behind once the construction vehicles are silenced, and the real estate contracts have been signed. Come back to this page once the horrific Town Center gets built, and your property value plummets and I'll wipe away your tears. Personally.
You want to do a service for the women in your life? STEER THEM AWAY FROM AN ALL GIRLS SCHOOL. You can NOT learn how to compete academically against males when there aren't any. You can't learn how to deal socially with boys when there aren't any. Single sex schools only work for boys because it is still a male-oriented society. There is still the Glass Ceiling for women in this culture. And you are misguided if you think being educated by a school that is still in its infancy, that has no track record, or accreditation, or even a competent group of leaders is going to give the young women in this town ANY sort of advantage. You want an advantage for them? Start petitioning CBA to open its doors to women. There should be room on their campus for girls. Girls should be able to fully take advantage of everything those boys already enjoy. No Lines. No Waiting. Why can't they? Why can't there be room for them? Why CAN'T the Gmelichs fight as hard to change that old-boys network for the girls they want to do right by as they are to build a school in the wrong town, in the wrong place.
And BONUS, just think of the time they could save if they didn't have to bus in the boys to play the male leads in their school plays? Just sayin'
In the 70s we were told "you can have it all." But we still don't. No matter how many of us have passed through hallowed doors, no matter how many of us have made strides in the marketplace.
And double check that petition. It's going to be tough to bus in that Hawaii-based family to us, no? And to be fair, here's the link to the other side's petition. Just in case. http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/residents-against-the-trinity-hall-project/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=button

Margie said...

Anonymous--what do you base "top notch" on? A class of 20 kids in Croydon Hall? Show me a link to the other all girls school the ones in charge of this one have created successfully and that shows a top notch track record? Oh wait, they WERE the Monmouth Girls Academy 4 years ago when they were shopping locales in Lincroft. But that didn't pan out, so they showed up here, as an Irish Catholic school, that's neither Irish (their school color in orange. wear that on St Patrick's day and see what happens) nor Catholic. You want to get a good education, boys included, on the cheap? Try Mater Dei-- pssssst it's Catholic and been around for about 50 years longer than trinity.

Lynn said...

Tony D. - Since this is NOT your backyard, what right to have to say your nonsense? This is OUR backyard and it is not meant for a school like this when there are plenty of other areas to build. The roads are simply not meant for a school like this! Have you even visited recently?
Give me a break about women getting fair opportunities...I am a woman and I am very happy where I am in my life. I never needed to hear my mother tell me about "girl power." She taught me to do anything I set my mind to and I did not need an all girl school to tell me either! How else do you learn to compete with men than to go to a co-educational school?

Barbara A. said...

With regards to the Trinity Hall Development I am opposed to the location, not the school itself.
I am unsure as to why a school that has not yet established itself would want to build such a large campus at this point in time and especially in this economy.
Regardless, this is a beautiful residential area and the fact is that Chapel Hill Road and Kings Highway East can not handle the increased traffic this school will bring.
So far only Trinity has had the opportunity to plead its case. I am looking forward to the meeting on 3/19 so they can answer the many questions we have. I only hope that it is moved to a bigger & better location so that everyone who wants to attend is able.
Commenting on blogs with the intent to insult each other isn't going to solve anything. Stay Classy Middletown!

johnny b said...

Rock quarry? Really?

Catholic school? Trinity teaches Catholic catechism. CBA isn't affiliated with the diocese. Anyone question CBA calling itself a Catholic school?

Accredited? It's a start up. Accreditation process takes place after the school has actually been up and running. And wouldn't that be a concern of the parent sending her daughter to Trinity rather then a concern for this blog?

Open space? Isn't the 30 acres in question a decision for the Planning Board to consider?

Buses versus cars? Where does this affluence assertion come from? Tuition is according to a families ability to pay as it says on their website. That does not mean families sending their daughter would provide or can afford a car.

What I saw at the last Planning Board meeting were well thought out solutions.

The fact that the school is willing to repave, widen, add a turning lane, include an almost 1/2 mile driveway and offering to have a traffic officer is going above and beyond to address traffic issues that may occur for about 30 minutes each morning the school was in session.

Change is not easy, and apparently with misguided assertions from this blog, providing an alternative education for the daughters of Monmouth County isn't either.

What do you have against giving these girls an option to attend an all girls high school? At least, don't they deserve that as an option to consider?

Unknown said...

The idea of a rock quarry came straight from Trinity supporters in an email and accompanying petition that Trinity posted on their website! If you are incredulous I will be more than happy to post the email and a screen shot in my next blog post.

Anonymous said...

How can anyone stop an owner from developing his land for a use that is zoned?

Hint: It's almost impossible.

The only thing for the people who live there (and the only people who oppose this school are those who live there)would be for the neighbors to raise the funds to outbid Trinity for the land. Then they could deed restrict it to being open space forever.

Other than that, you're just spitting into the wind...

Margie R. said...

johnny, Well, let's talk language. CBA is a 'private Catholic high school in the Lasallian tradition', this school wants to be a private all-girls' high school in 'the catholic tradition' (interesting parallel of wording) however, the Lasalle brothers actually RUN CBA school, & in the case of Trinity. the Catholic church does not. In fact the Bishop issued a statement that reads, "The Canon Law of the Catholic Church requires the consent of the "competent ecclesiastical authority (that is, the Diocesan Bishop)" for a school to bear the title "Catholic school." I did not give such consent or permission and so informed those interested in establishing the school. I was told by numerous individuals within the Diocese that those seeking to establish this new school were going to do so regardless of my consent or permission. And so they have." So you tell me where the priorities of this school lie.
30 acres? really? CBA was built on 157. You tell me how this proposal, to have this school built on, as you say 20 acres, with one main access road, surrounded tightly on all sides by wetlands and homes can even compare?
Oh, and by far, here's my favorite of yours:
"The fact that the school is willing to repave, widen, add a turning lane, include an almost 1/2 mile driveway and offering to have a traffic officer is going above and beyond to address traffic issues that may occur for about 30 minutes each morning the school was in session"
Read this outloud to yourself as you look at your own front yard, and tell me seriously, if that doesn't describe a nightmare of what you would have to see looking out your window, and trying to get out of your driveway while they finish demolishing the front of your property, taking down trees, cutting into the hill that has supported your home for decades while you watch helplessly, and tell me, after you put yourself in the shoes of the homeowners who stand to lose so much for this, if this is really a good idea. Isn't that what being a Christian is? The ability to see things through someone else's experience? Have you ever stopped and taken a look at the homes on that road? At their uniqueness, and how over time, individual farmers and horse lovers have carved out beautiful, serene plots of land, land they are trying to protect from the overbearance of the traffic, the noise, the crowds, the overflow, the lights, the HVAC units, the buses, the cars, the pep rallys, the loud speakers, the horns that would ring for school to begin and end? What about the fire drills? Gym classes, after school activities, fund raisers, the list goes on and this neighborhood, because, john, is what it is first and foremost A NEIGHBORHOOD, would never be the same again. Ever. Can you say that about development where you live?

Margie R. said...

This is not about girls, or girls getting an education. To say that disparages our current institutions, and the glory that is Title IX. As a man, are you aware of it, and what it has done for the education of women? Did you know it is celebrating its 40th year of changing the face of education for young girls EVERYWHERE and not just in the proposed hallowed halls of a pricey (16K at last count) not yet built institution? You want to support a cause for girls USE THIS ONE.
WHY are you all fixated on saying we are denying girls the right to an education? What a horribly antiquated argument. johnny, girls have been and will be educated for years, and isn't it a blessing that laws like Title IX have come along to make that education better for ALL girls in ALL our already established schools, of which we have quite a lot in Monmouth County. What have you done lately to ensure that an average, low-to-middle-income girl is getting a good education, and why, in your mind, does a school like this have to be built first, before that can happen?
Ours is not a backward, third-world country where girls have to meet in secret groups with teachers, or have to risk their lives to openly go to school to be taught their moral right to an education. To my recollection, not a single girl in our country was shot on a school bus for speaking out about how girls need to be educated fairly, and the same as boys.
Yours is an old, tired argument, for a school that is not welcome in our neighborhood, and one that is building on land that is not appropriate for that purpose.
johnny b goode time to pick up your gauntlet and go home.

johnny b. said...

Hello Margie,

-Trinity uses Catholic curriculum approved by the National Catholic Conference of Bishops. You are correct they cannot call the school "Catholic" until the Bishop permits them. But they can teach the same or similar Catholic theological curriculum that's taught at Mater Dei, RBC, CBA… Can't call it Catholic but it is.

-The 30 acres I referred to was mentioned in the blog. CBA has 1,000 students, Trinity, eventually will have half that number. Certainly 60+ acres is more than enough for such a school.

-"The fact that the school is willing to repave, widen, add a turning lane, include an almost 1/2 mile driveway and offering to have a traffic officer is going above and beyond to address traffic issues that may occur for about 30 minutes each morning the school was in session."

Is more than fair and accurate of what was addressed at the planning meeting. If they are going to be building that close to your property line and tearing down a hill that is supporting your home you have a right to complain and should do so. But they have 60+ acres to build on, why would they risk tearing down a support hill for anyones home?

As for the rest of the issues you mention how do you know all will occur? Time and time again the Trinity representative said Trinity is committed to being a good neighbor. Seeing it through their eyes can't you take them at face value? I live a block from an elementary school. Certainly with recess outside and bells and sports events and constant noise young children make that would be louder than an all girls high school that will have less students. And yet, none of us in the neighborhood mind and if someone has an issue they work it out. The school works hard to be a good neighbor and everyone appreciates its presence.

-I am sorry but we disagree on your last point. I do think it is about the girls. Certainly there are many, many options for young women of Monmouth to get an excellent secondary education, Mater Dei, RBC, South.

So why deny a girl the option for an all girls school if thats what she and her parents think is best for her? Some public schools around the country are considering single sex classes because research is showing that for some young women single sex education is better.

I won't get personal with you but I am happy to answer your question about what I have done to ensure a low to middle class excellent education. Not only do I actively support parochial school scholarship funds but also am now supporting Trinity. For you see Margie, I am guessing Trinity is and will be quite generous with scholarship funds. I won't speak for them but you should call the office and ask if any girl would be turned away from Trinity for lack of funds.

Margie R. said...

I think it's really telling that most of the ones who are in support of this school are doing so under the veil of anonymity.

gossage said...

since when is a petition in support of (or against) an institution or any cause for that matter relegated to "petition" (JValencia) by virtue of who signed it? I suggest next time you notify the petitioner who they can petition ahead of time. Usually in "America" you can support or object to issues freely. Maybe we should have just let the southern states vote on the Civil Rights Act since it was in "their backyard" will you be surprised if the Gmelichs signed a petition in support of their cause? (my guess: "spoiler alert" they probably signed it. shhh) Best of luck with your ""Investigation"" into a petition. sounds like a great "use of your time"

Unknown said...

Margie -

The tricolour flag, the flag of the Republic of Ireland and the banner of the Republican Movement, is green white and....what color?

Unknown said...

Margie -

The tricolour flag, the flag of the Republic of Ireland and the banner of the Republican Movement, is green white and....what color?

Anonymous said...

I've lived in the township for years and have seem it steadily erode as the interests of the people of the township are placed behind those of a few. We need to support our public schools and provide free and safe recreational activities for ALL the students in the township. We need an all girl's Catholic school as much as we need a yeshiva. It may be a boondoggle for a few township cronies, but it does not serve the interests of the township as a whole.

Anonymous said...

I'm in favor of the school being built at that location as I would if it were being built in my very own backyard.

What a number of the naysayers fail to comprehend is that the land isn't public "open space" but privately owned land who's right to build what they want there is up to the owners so long as it conforms to the zoning code, which the school does. If those who oppose it didn't want anything ever built there then they should have bought it themselves and donated the land to the county to be preserved as "open space", but they didn't.

If the school isn't built there it will almost surely be a residential development. Now I have heard that there's no possibility that a low income housing component could ever go on that site but it is impossible for anyone to say that for sure.

The COAH litigation with the Christie administration is ongoing with the NJ Supreme Court February deadline having come and gone with pressure mounting for new affordable housing guidelines to be adopted statewide.

The site in question is one of Middletown's larger remaining undeveloped residential parcels. To think that it can be residentially developed without any affordable housing component in light of the Supreme Court's stance on COAH is wishful thinking at best.

The school would be great there despite the
hysteria.

Be careful what you wish for......

Stephen C., Middletown resident since 1998.

Margie R. said...

Peter, uh--it's for the PROTESTANTS. Go ahead, wear it on St. Pat's Day.
"The green (Catholic) pale in the flag symbolises Irish republicanism dating back to the Society of United Irishmen in the 1790s. The orange represents the minority who were supporters of King William III, who was of the House of Orange and originally the Stadtholder of the Netherlands, had defeated King James II and his predominantly Irish Catholic army[ at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. His title came from the Principality of Orange in the south of France that had been a Protestant bastion from the 16th century. It was included in the Irish flag in an attempt to reconcile the Orange Order in Ireland with the Irish independence movement. The white in the centre signifies a lasting truce between the two cultures and a living together in peace."

Margie R. said...

"goose gossage"--don't say on the "heading" of "your" petition "We are a group of organized residents of Middletown that has rallied to support the development of Trinity Hall's permanent campus in the Chapel Hill section of Middletown. " and have the entire "united states" "sign it." Did "I" use enough "double quotes" so you can read this properly? "?"

matthew k foley said...

Steven c. I have been a middle town resident since 1970 chapel hill rd exept for two devlopments is essentialy the same as it was then. still not capable of supporting this school! Who in your family hopes to work there?

Anonymous said...

Anon 5:20 PM,
The land is zoned for residential construction and an affordable housing unit or two would do nothing to the neighborhood other than to offer an affordable housing opportunity. And, the affordable housing requirement could be met at some other location in Middletown. The affordable housing scare tactic is old and boring -- nice try.

Unknown said...

Hi Margie,

We are running off topic here, but I am proudly Irish, proudly republican and proudly protestant.

Ask Wolfe Tone about what I mean.

Unknown said...

Hi Margie,

We are running off topic here, but I am proudly Irish, proudly republican and proudly protestant.

Ask Wolfe Tone about what I mean.

Margie R. said...

And I am proudly Irish, and proudly Catholic. I will meet you, sir, on the white of the line.
Be well.

Anonymous said...

Those seeking to convince us that single sex education is the wave of the future are living in another era. Anyone who is employed by a large corporation or who has children in college knows that diversity is desired and required. As it is, our suburban kids in Middletown live in a virtually all-white school environment. Attempting to turn back the clock to days of yore and when girls learned only with girls will not serve them well despite what any individual study might find. Orthodox Jews also believe in this separation, but most marry young and go on to live in tight knit religious communities. Since our colleges are now filled with majority females, I fail to see how our traditional co-ed educational system has harmed the young ladies in this country.

Smarter than a 5th grader said...

Hey for all you haters out there, kill two birds with one stone-

Put Trinity Hall where the Avaya building is! Win, Win

No BIG high density housing and no disturbing the precious chapel hill property. And it would share borders with two existing schools!

BOOM, didn't that just blow your mind! Now that is thinking outside the box.

Maybe you folks on chapel hill should visit the crowdfunding website and take up collections to buy that property to keep it out of developers hands.

Anonymous said...

Oh hear come the 'lily white' nonsense. People are free to associate and choose what they want for their kids. Studies corroborate that single sex education has tremendous benefits just like co-ed so if you are going to post something, at least make it tangible.

Margie R. said...

It's so nice to see all the Anonymous family come out in support of their favorite school. Well, anyway, Anon 10:10, I look at those studies the way I look at the tobacco companies who tell you their research shows smoking's not that bad, and the red wine companies telling you a glass of wine a day's OK: it's all in who sponsors the study, and how the results are skewed to suit their purpose.

Margie R. said...

Smarter..excellent suggestion! But they looked at Avaya... and Fort Monmouth...and Holmdel...first as the Monmouth Girls Academy, with a whole other school emblem, in a whole other bunch of colors, before they decided on the orange cross and the Trinity name, which is also the name of the oldest daughter of our Mayor? Coincidence? Don't know. Hall is Vicki Gmelich's maiden name. Don't know about that one either.

Margie R. said...

johnny b goode writes: " I live a block from an elementary school. Certainly with recess outside and bells and sports events and constant noise young children make that would be louder than an all girls high school that will have less students. And yet, none of us in the neighborhood mind and if someone has an issue they work it out. The school works hard to be a good neighbor and everyone appreciates its presence. "
Well johnny, I'm glad to hear the Kinidergarten Field Hockey team is doing well, not to mention the Fourth Grade Track Team, and that the land that was used to create the indoor swimming pool for the Third graders worked out, and didn't interfere with your livelihood. Of course, I know it's a drag when they have to leave the outdoor track lights on all night because kids are propegating on the grounds to drink and park in the almosts 400-space parking lot they need to accommodate all the functions the Second Grade class runs, and not to mention the pep rallys held in the outdoor stadium on a lovely spring night when you thought you would be able to leave your windows open.
At least the kids from your school don't drive yet.
And something else I bet. You bought that house knowing the school was there already. We've lived here for many years, and no one ever thought that that land would go to a school. Would have been nice to have the choice you had when you invested so much in your home, don't you think?

Anonymous said...

http://www.trinityhallnj.org/news-updates/women-leadership-speaker-series-stephanie-murray


Interesting Anon 8:38 about the Mayor and the name....she does seem to have a particular interest in the school.

Anonymous said...

http://us-campaign-committees.findthebest.com/l/28786/Patriot-Prosperity-Political-Action-Committee


Well, I guess getting cozy with big donors to conservative Super PACs is an incentive for our TC members to take a "special interest" in their projects. Do you honestly think the folks of Middletown can compete with the Masters of the Universe and their whims?

Chris Whalen, Chapel Hill Parent said...

I am writing to express my many concerns regarding the Trinity Hall Development.

Trinity Hall is a commercial enterprise and will bring to our neighborhood all of the communal, societal and environmental harm that such enterprises do.

The picture below clearly reflects what this development would do to our community.

Let’s project out some of the many terrible impacts this will have on our neighborhood.

The Trinity Hall Development will increase the volume of:
School buses and other school vehicles
Student cars and
Parent drop off vehicles
Evening noise and light pollution.
Daily noise and pollution from the school’s physical plant.
and
Possibly necessitate:
the widening of parts of Chapel Hill to install shoulders, the land for which will be taken from existing landowners on Chapel Hill Road using Eminent Domain Laws.

the installation of traffic lights at the intersections of Chapel Hill and Kings Highway, and Sleepy Hollow and Chapel Hill AND
Definitely at the school’s main entrance on Chapel Hill itself.

The Trinity Hall Development will decrease the land values surrounding it dramatically, financially devastating families already hard hit by the down turn in the real estate markets the past 6 years.

What are some of the direct and unacceptable impacts on our public school attending children?
The logistics for our local public schools' bus stops on Chapel Hill AND our buses that use Chapel Hill to bring our kids to school will have to be overhauled.
Bus Ride LENGTHS will increase for our students boarding on Chapel Hill and using Chapel Hill Road on their bus rides.
This means earlier boarding times for our children.
Increased air and noise pollution along the entire corridor.
Increased physical DANGER to our bus riding public school children

Money will be taken in increased taxes from the students’ parents’ savings for construction projects. They will be forced to bear these charges as the school is a non-profit which does not pay real estate taxes. It will have zero responsibility financially for these multi-million dollar improvements that will be necessary, now and ad infinitum. These funds should be going towards OUR students’ education, and not funding the education of strangers who are not contributing to our community.

There are enough private schools in the area to service the needs of our community. From a simple zoning and planning perspective alone, this project should be rejected as there is ample township real estate dedicated to this “Business Purpose.”

Only if there was a true and incontestable direct community need for such a large commercial operation in the heart of our neighborhood, should such a land, family and way-of-life altering project be considered.

That is clearly not the case. The opposite is true. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Christopher R. Whalen, CPA
Concerned Parent and Chapel Hill Resident

Anonymous said...

What does CPA stand for? In your case since you are vomiting untruths you must be a Crack Pipe A...well I think you can fill in the blank.

Anonymous said...

I understand were you all are coming from a bout the road being narrow and everything,but they said that they were going to make the roads bigger and everything.
I can not believe the nerve on all of you people that oppose the school. They people how own the property now have the right to sell it to how ever they want to. If they build the homes there will be even more children in the public school system is thta what you really want.

it went through any way so i am happy now. I just wanted to put it out there.
sss

Anonymous said...

I am very opposed to the school. I have resided in Chapel Hill for the last five years and that's what makes this area so unique is the open space. Not opposed to the school but please find another location. In addition the roads and infrastructure cannot support anymore traffic.

Anonymous said...

Marge is too funny and needs to get her facts straight. She slams TH for not being s diocesan school, and raves about the education at CBA which is also not a diocesan school. Too funny.

Anonymous said...

Hey! Not to beat a dead horse but... our school's doing just fine in our new home. We just had a hugely successful open house with 500+ satisfied people in attendance. Thanks for all the words of encouragement!
Signed,
EVERYONE

Erica O said...

FYI the school has since been accredited and the seniors attending have been accepted into many colleges across the country. Glad to see we were finally accepted into a home that doesn't complain about the mission we are trying to accomplish.

Still not in the diocese which is the best thing that could have happened to the school.