Oceanport schools seek public input; water watch update

By Neil Schulman

Oceanport — The Oceanport School District is seeking feedback, both on a potential new school project and what residents would like to see for the schools in general.

At the Oct. 19 Borough Council meeting, schools superintendent Melanie Lipinski said the survey was being mailed to every home in Oceanport, and copies would be distributed at various places around the borough, such as borough hall and the library.

The survey is also available on the school website, www.oceanport.k12.nj.us/.

Since only one copy is being mailed to each residence, some people may need the extra copies or to go online.

Questions include what residents consider priorities in education, as well as what facilities they consider most important, and if they would be amendable to ever replacing the two schools with a single K-8 building.

“This is something we really should be doing every year as a school district,” Lipinski said.

Lipinski said that at the Oct. 17 Board meeting, there was a presentation from Solutions Architecture, identifying what is needed in the facilities for maintenance and to meet state standards.

Parts of the report are online, but Lipinski said because of the comprehensive nature of the report, the district thinks it would be a security risk to put the full report, which outlines every nook and cranny of the buildings, online.

Too high, but not that high

Councilwoman Patty Cooper reported that the state is unlikely to assist with reports of high bacteria counts in parts of Oceanport’s waters, because they’re used to dealing with much higher counts.

She said that the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection had approached the borough’s Water Watch Committee about working together.

While most of Oceanport’s water tests well, there have been a few problem areas where the bacteria count is above what is considered healthy. But the DEP seemed uninterested in attempting to remediate the problem or determine the source of the pollution.

Cooper said that’s because these places are still relatively clean.

“They have been working on cleaning up the Shrewsbury river. The numbers there are in the thousands; the highest [in Oceanport] is 691,” Cooper said.

In other health news, Cooper reported that the Monmouth County Health Department will not be holding a flu clinic in Oceanport this year. Once, when flu vaccines were hard to come by, these were well attended, but the last one in the borough drew only five people, and many vaccines had to be discarded.

Clean Communities Contest

The Oceanport Clean Communities Poster Contest, open to all students who live in Oceanport in grades 2-8, runs through November 1.

The posters deal with the theme of litter.

Entries can include drawings, cartoons, photographs, or computer generated art. They must contain the word “litter” in the design, and can be no bigger than 11”x17”. They should encourage picking up roadside litter and recycling.

Two winners will be selected to have their artwork featured on the Oceanport website and to receive a $50 gift card. First place will also be the front cover of the 2019 Oceanport calendar.

Details are available on the borough website, oceanportboro.com.