From what I've read, some of the costs of acquiring the property are as follows:
975,000 Cost of Property
80,000 - 120,000 Removal of Oil Tanks (estimated as there is some confusion on the exact amount)
180,000 Architect fees
25,000 Legal fees
Renovation costs are still unknown
The other costs are hard to know unless there is a direct access to the Board. You can ask for an open public record act request (OPRA), but since no one has a clear idea what is being done, the true dollar amount will be hard to come by. I believe everyone on this board can agree the cost will not be covered by a 1.2 million dollar grant.
As far as why the purchase of the property, it was to move the Board of Ed offices to Midland Ave and increase classroom space in hopes to make Franklin School a Middle School. My concern is that the move will not free up enough space at Franklin School to justify the 1mil + dollar expenditure, not to mention the fact that the property was bought as-is, which raises a red flag. Anyhow, in my opinion, the community and students will not benefit from this project. As a candidate running for the Board of Ed this year, I thought by bringing up this topic I'd introduce a project that has been talked about and acted upon which many, if not most, Kearny residents are not aware of. If you have further thoughts on this issue, I'd appreciate them. Thank you.