Midland Park school district moving offices into barn

MIDLAND PARK — The Midland Park school district is not waiting for the cows to come home.

The district is proceeding this summer with conversion of a former dairy barn on the junior/senior high school property into office space for the school board, curriculum and special education staffs.

Superintendent Marie Cirasella said moving the district offices out of the high school will allow for expansion of existing and new instructional programs.

“It’s not how many kids you can fit in a classroom,” Cirasella said. “It’s how many classes we can run at the same time. We have new classes such as robotics that need their own space. I’m confident this will serve our educational space needs for the next five to 10 years.”

PHOTOS:Midland Park High School 2017 graduation

HIGH SCHOOL:Antenna proposed for 'dead zone'

GALLERY:Midland Park holds 2017 prom at Rockleigh Country Club

Business Administrator Stacey Garvey said the board offices were in the basement of Highland Elementary School before moving to the high school shortly after Cirasella’s arrival in 2010. Additional office space has been debated for at least five years.

“We had several places we could have added the office space, but the estimates kept coming back at $1 million," said Garvey. "Our architect eventually suggested we consider using the barn.”

Garvey said renovating the 3,900-square-foot, two-story barn, which is currently used to store maintenance equipment, is estimated to cost $680,000.

The renovations are expected to be completed by October. Employees will then vacate the offices in the high school so they can be converted into classrooms. Students could begin using the space by January, Garvey said.

Board of Education meetings will continue to be held in the high school, she said.

The 80-year-old barn, on the Prospect Street border of the high school property, is part of local history. It housed the Blom Dairy cows from 1937 until Aike Blom sold it, along with 22 acres of farmland, to the school district in the early 1950s for construction of the new high school, which opened in 1957. An adjacent garage and house for the dairy, immediately south of the barn, remain today.

The barn is separated from the high school by its parking lot. However, Cirasella said she did not expect the move to affect her communication with the high school principal and staff.

And, added Garvey, "We’ll get our Fitbit steps in walking back and forth."

Email: stoltz@northjersey.com