State grant to fund study of shared services possibilities

JACKSON- The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs has awarded Jackson a Sharing Available Resources Efficiently (SHARE) grant.

The $29,880 grant will be used to conduct a feasibility study into services that may be able to be shared between the township and the Jackson Board of Education.

"We are very pleased that we have been awarded this grant by the state," said Councilman Scott Martin, who is a Township Council liaison to the school board. "It shows our commitment to the board in finding ways to share services and save taxpayer dollars."

Martin said Jersey Professional Management, of Cranford, which will conduct the feasibility study, has experience in this area. He said the council members and school district administrators are excited that they can get the process started and eventually see results.

Allison Erwin, communications specialist with the Jackson School District, said this is one of the steps being taken to move ahead with sharing of services that will include the use and maintenance of athletic fields, information technology and transportation.

Erwin said the school district could share some of its technical support or network and server space with the township and expand the use of some of the district's transportation resources for use by the Jackson recreation department.

"The township and the school district could also expand access to athletic fields to increase the use of those fields, possibly limiting the need [to construct] additional fields in the future," Erwin said. "Sharing

the responsibility of maintaining

the fields would help to ensure

that all of the fields remain

in good condition."

Martin added, "One thing we hear over and over again is that we need more fields. By working with the school board to open up access to their fields for various recreation programs and in turn opening up access to the

town's fields to school sports programs, we are taking an important first step toward solving that problem."

Representatives of the township and the school district may also work together to seek approval from Cablevision for a town-dedicated cable television station, and for the township to assist in recycling efforts at Jackson schools.

"The process of combining some of the efforts of the school district and the township is what community is all about," said Councilwoman Emily Ingram, who is also a liaison to the school board. "Working jointly with the school board will enable us to find cost-saving measures, work more efficiently and increase the quality of our lives here in Jackson."