Wenonah voters approve $2.9 million school bond

In the first school bond referendum in their Gloucester County district in decades, Wenonah voters approved a $2.9 million school bond proposal for renovations at the elementary school, officials said Wednesday.

In unofficial results, the measure passed, 219-95, said Chief School Administrator Kristine Height. Final figures are expected next week, she said.

The funds, which will raise local property taxes in the community of about 2,200, are earmarked for a new gym floor and air-conditioning and repairing the roof at Wenonah Elementary School, the district’s only school. Other planned renovations include an emergency gas generator, new bathrooms, new cafeteria tables, concrete ramps, HVAC and technology upgrades.

Wenonah was the only South Jersey district that asked voters Tuesday to consider a proposal for additional spending. The state will contribute about $1.2 million, about 40%, toward the cost of the projects, leaving a $1.7 million tab for residents. That means an annual increase of $152.64 on a home assessed at about $260,000, the borough average. The bond would be paid over 20 years.

Voters in Wenonah and three other districts in Sussex, Union, and Morris Counties also considered school construction bonds totaling nearly $96.6 million Tuesday.