001Board of Education uh this special meeting of the Kingsburg Board of Education being held at the boulder middle school media center adequate notice for this meeting has been mailed to the Asbury Park Press filed with the municipal clerk of Kingsburg posted on the district website and posted inside the office of the kingburg Board of Education 100 Palmer Place Kingsburg New Jersey on March 6 2025 this time we'll take a roll call Mrs Clayton Mrs friselle here miss Karan here Mr manowski here Mr kitchen Mr cook here Mr Hoff Mr Ferraro here M Ryan here this time please stand in Fr of the Pledge of Allegiance I pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible liberty and justice for
002all in case of an emergency there are exits to the left and to the back please don't go out this door it does not leave anyway all right um at this time I understand we have a presentation regarding the high school football field okay all right um I guess I'll just St here um well first of all thank you for inviting me to talk about this proposal um I'm not familiar I've spoken to quite a few of you and I think maybe some of you had a handout as anybody I have a couple extra handouts you want to look at it or you've talked about it I'll take somebody has a hand so I spent my uh first 30 years of my life living in kbg have a great might even know me my ask
003name a little bit but uh um anybody else got one more oh jeez thank you all right sorry about that but anyway um so what you'll see in there is a proposal for Tommy Stark uh you know uh a few of us in the a few of us 30 to 40 people have been talking about it we in the Kingsburg Hall ofare and would we like to have the field dedicated to Tommy um too often I think that we like dedicated it to an individual that has done a lot for everybody and people think about it when they're passed and they're gone and this is something we're saying why are we waiting for this um I don't know a lot of people have put a lot of time into things but it seems like Tommy
004has risen to the top of that and really has uh uh really made a a change here and dedicated almost his entire life uh to be a Titan so uh if you see the proposal I think the one thing you should brought them really quickly is that you're not looking for kingburg or for anybody to fund anything all the funds should be ready separately and um and hopefully um you know we'll be able to uh reach a little bit to some of the uh businesses in town um that have been here for a while and some of the new ones and see if they'd be interested in uh contributing also uh I'll stop there real quick anybody have any quick questions or anything or and believe me I'm here just to answer questions so what
005you can just throw anything at me I it doesn't matter if I don't know it I'll just research it and you know Joe I have a question do we know in the scheme of things how much we're looking to raise for this like what is it going to take financially so um I have a couple estimates in there so look at we'll look at it in a couple phases one of them is u a plaque that basically Tommy would have it's and I went to Beacon Awards uh they said they the last time I spoke to them spooked up a couple times keeps creeping up of course like everything else like eggs right so thank God it's not like made with eggs but uh so that was $293,000 right um that's one piece of it
006an optional thing would be and this is what you usually do at most of the schools and like I know that you've been to a few schools people contribute they put it in different phases you know like platinum gold whatever and they put their names on there so a lot of people like to put it in dedication of like their families and stuff like that and contribute uh you know towards it that way not just put their name in there um and so something similar to that probably another 3,000 that's six and if you look at the proposal this is something you know what we would like to do I think it really like make the field like isue maybe it's a start of something else so going into the field um redo the gates
007redo the front fencing make it black I it would be it could be any color blue you know that might be nice actually um redo the gates but the iron gates themselves I think that's the I spoke to Long Branch Iron Works they were saying 9,000 9500 something like that which I thought was a great price actually so and they would build the gates with and if you look in there you could see a picture of it in the back um it would say uh home of the Titans St fueld and so what it says there now is home of the pioneers somebody else's field it's from impr Providence and so I just kind of copied what they had but we can do anything right it be subject to what we feels like best represents
008the town and the school so that's just to give everybody an idea of what we could do uh so that's so six right for the blacks um 9,000 so we're talking 15 right now fencing I don't have a price for but I don't think that that would have been the you know I'm guessing 10 so I have a feeling this is going to creep up to 30 and I think that's the number I have in my head that to get that front done now so I know right now I've only spoken to like three people and so we got like at least $3,000 so we've got a really good story of course that uh the issue is that a lot of people you don't know how much you just never know how many how much
009people are going to fun right they may be like 50 or 25 that's not going to really get you there that's why I think we have to have a plan B and that would be my plan B is to go and beet with some of the individuals or even the PBA or something to see if they want to uh contribute and uh into this whole thing into the dedication so um I think we're going to have to do that to get the funds I just can't believe unless unless we have I know we have some really sort of alni out there that can contribute I do know that but I don't want to just like Bank on that so I think itd great and and I I talked to Kathleen about this because I thought
010that you know let's see where we go with it talk to the business see if we can get funds in because maybe this is kind of like just the beginning I maybe we do something with the snack bar maybe do something with the the the the basketball court talking about walk exactly and so I don't want to like you know just restrict it to that but one of the things I do know and I I lived up in milb Bur for like many years and so uh we had a field that was way worse than our field back here and so uh we did this whole thing and refunded it and uh uh and they did something quite different like somebody actually brought that check for like x amount and put new lights in and
011stuff like that that's totally different so I'm not trying to go there but the thing is that the first thing they did was like fix the field you know they fixed the track they made everybody and people saw like progress and so when they see progress then it's easy to kind of sell it a little bit more so um that's what I think is like I think we should like work short term but thinking long term on this whole thing like where we want to go and so uh I don't want to like just you know wait until the uh we get something done but approaching them now talking to the you know some of these businesses and trying to get you know a feel like where they might be interested and uh you know
012that's what I think I think we I think we have something here I think there's enough uh businesses supporting the town that would like to take an interest in something if we could show them you know what we're going to do where we want to go with this whole thing so um anyway questions on anything else the only reason I'm asking questions is because they don't have you know the information back there so when you're talking about a plan like we talked about like setting up an account for it or we talked about the Alumni Association or we talk like how are we going to get people involved how are you going to Market it how are you what's the Outreach yeah so um actually you mentioned a really good point and I should point
013this out that one of the biggest hurdles I have right now and I've been talking to Mike about this is U is trying to uh establish a uh 501c3 charitable organization because I don't want this to be this isn't Joe Memo's checking account we're going to put the money in we have to put this in an account that you know people get their tax deduction you know and and they can see it and it's very transparent and accountable so um and and then you know if I was contributing money I would like to know that too right and so that's the one thing we got to work on and so Mike is helping me trying to uh get an account to get some kind of estimates on what that would cost so uh so that's
014one thing so we want to take care of that so marketing it um so luckily I've been I have been marketing this with the Hall of Fame eff so I've got like a pretty good Outreach there and then the next step is actually and then you when I talking about this Mike you said there is a u um and I'm not on Facebook so I don't know this but I was I was told Sandy borest I don't know if s you know her I think she's in Arizona actually but she was telling me about that there's she said that um she would reach out to and I don't want to do this myself I think what I want to do is like after we decide where we want to go with this we get like
015a board to help us as though it's not just uh us more people get involved with this thing and and build like a little commission um so but she had mentioned to me that in Facebook there's different like you know for graduating years there are a lot of people like still communicating and talking like that and it's pretty active and that she thinks that reaching out there um is is another way to get like you know get in touch with people who know Tommy and that would be interested in this so that's another thing right so um I was hoping that Mr Hoff would be here because I would like to talk to him about his uh his brother and uh you know and if I could get um if I can get introduced to
016any of the the the the businesses that they know in town um and is it SackMan I think it's SackMan building that's like to start there and I know they're in Asbury Park that's where the headquarters are um was doing a little research on them but uh you know they seem like know I don't know them and have worked with them but just looking at what they do they're very active in communities um they don't just they don't reported I didn't see anything on the website that they have any kind of charitable contributions or stuff like that but um I mean you know they got a lot of money invested in this town and uh it I think it behooves them to kind of like support something like this you know what happens with the
017school is a good reflection on the rest of the town so that's kind of the shortterm plan right there to they get to reach out get get um get people to say hey look this is what I'm going to donate you know see where we stand from there definitely go to plan B which is like try to reach out to them through Facebook and try to get individuals to contribute also um and then you know plan C is obviously and they're not AB andc they're all at the same level I really just think we should attack all of them and see where we wind up with this whole thing cuz like I said said if we if this front gate thing and fixing it if that we do go down that path and that's $30,000
018um and we get 50 or 60 let's fix up the snack bar let's make this nice or maybe the basketball court needs to be redone or something I don't know but things that will help the school out and you know so it doesn't it doesn't have to be limited just to the football field you know it should be something that everybody can uh you know participate and Advance everything in athletics so and maybe I don't know even I would even leave it to your discretion if you want to put it in the the scholarship pool or something like that you know but I think that my thought is that a lot of people when they contribute like to see something so when you give it and believe me I think I I love the idea
019people get the scholarships I think you guys do a great job with that at the end of the year I've been to some of those Awards dinner and get and and it's really nice to see the expression on on the students faces when they get that and you know it really helps out and I went to school and I needed that kind of stuff too so I know that what that's all about so but I think that uh you know I think we have a pretty clear path um and I think that there's but I think there's decisions that have to be made along the way like what do we want the front gate to look like is is what I showed you okay or do we see something else do we not like the
020colors that whole thing like and then we have to nail down the price of that and then at the same time start talking to these uh you know the fundraisers so go ahead oh uh just one question so ultimately from start to finish when were you looking to start this process and then maybe potentially getting things built and in place if everything goes perfect world perfect scenarios yeah so I think great question I think it's but I think it depends on U you know where we see the funding going because I'll believe me like if you guys give me the green light I will walk out of here and send something out tonight I know some of you guys are already already on the H Fame list so you may see this so um and
021I you know just to get an idea I can get a quick sense how people like come back to me and tell me what are you thinking you know individually and so um I think that clearly we'd be able to give a dedication you know think about this s couple things just like and dedicate the field and then do it in two parts or we could do the field we could wait wait or we could just we definitely would be able to like have money for plaques and stuff like that and so uh we already have that you know um so there three people already funding the dedication plaque but I think there's also another one that needs to go on the wall and I'm thinking about there would be another one because you'd want
022to put one like on the wall like outside the field so they know why it's Stark's field like what did he do who was Tommy Stark so add another 3,000 to that um no the reason I asked is like timeline wise because we're closely approach even though it feels like so far away but we're closely approached summer so I don't know that would be up to miss O'Hare when construction would commence we talk yeah we we've been in some communication but it's all depending on the funding and figuring out like when that can get yeah so um I mean I really couldn't tell you because I okay but I think in that P it's the same pack there's the sample of the plaque and that's what he was saying could be like right away pretty
023quickly so that could I think like 3 weeks or could do that in if we wanted to to just get it moving and then do the rest after that and then we could do exactly that's right so I think um I'm sorry does somebody have a question oh sorry um so it's it's it's March right uh and and people like these guys have probably got schedules doing things through the summer who knows I mean is it possible to get like the front gate fixed like before the first game or even like you know uh practice starts in mid August I guess right well they practice in the back oh okay so I think um it is possible but it all comes down to like funding and so because we can't unless I have funds on
024hand uh not going to go out and tell people to start building Gates you and then you know that just won't work I wife will not be happy with that so Joe when the audience tonight we have members of the booster club are here we have representatives from the burrow here um we have a woman that has a lot of connections with life in general Mrs Huff over there that she's a great resource she knows a wealth of information not putting you under the bus letting him know that you know everybody and anybody that has been supportive of the town so you know we there's a lot of good resources in the audience too that great I mean and believe me feel free to ask me any question if something's not clear or you know
025um I talk too fast I think um but I think that uh you know so it all comes down the funding in order to know a timeline I could actually I was actually if you know people that know fencing and do like the brick kind of columns and stuff like that that would be very helpful right otherwise I'm just Googling it and looking at like how many stars I got so but uh I'd like to keep it if we know like if somebody can do that in town then that that's that's great yeah but we had met we were even trying to brainstorm like alumni who might work in iron or who might work in masonry or anything like that because it'd be great to tap into that also yeah I mean I I'm not
026sold on like long gr IR works I me they look like they do really good work and they've been there for a while and I thought it was a good price but hey if somebody's in town and we can give them the money I'd much prefer that you know I mean that's right I don't know colins brothers are still there anymore Charlie H I should have noticed that I was on the trail the other day I drove I was R my bike down there and I had to stop off of Jackie of course old habits are difficult to um yeah I think uh I mean I'd be willing to like you know if I could get introduced to some of some of the businesses in town or speak to the I don't know I'm just
027saying the PBA only because that's comes to the top of my head but um anyway I talk to the fire department guys anybody I mean I mean they are also like you know self-funded in most cases right so they I don't want to robw Peter to pay po stuff like that but you know sometimes they just want to do it and get involved so you know maybe they have extra funds that they don't need this year or something I don't know speculate but I'd be willing to talk to anybody about it and I think that you know like this time you know a lot of people that are in town still know Tommy still has a good name recognition you know he's done a lot of good things and stuff so um I'm hoping that
028we could leverage that you know and people know he still is like I still speak to him very frequently and he's on the commission for the shore conference and he fights for keensburg so hard to play in the right divisions that they should be to get us the schedules that work for us best like he still is like he'll he always will be yeah yeah yeah yeah I know and he also doesn't want us to do that's bad he told me if we I said it's happening forget just we're not waiting until like Tom dies because I'll probably be dead before him but then it'll well then I can leave it to you guys but um yeah I mean you know it's uh I I started off saying that I think that why do we
029wait like you know we should celebrate like ourselves I think it's a great Community I mean I honestly believe it's a really good Community thing I mean I wish that somebody would write the Checker we could move the football field over and put a track it with lights and uh you know that would be fantastic but uh it's really tight back there and and I don't know if the sack's got that kind of checkbox probably does but I'm sure but maybe you know um so uh I didn't put my email on there I say but my contact information and all that I can send it all that you got yeah send it to everybody I don't care who has it just get in touch with me you have any questions um or ideas I mean
030you know kind of like you know think I'm an idea man but I always I tell everybody I say I get my best ideas just listen to other people and so and trying to make sense of it so whatever you think like whatever you think might work you know or best or another path that get collect funds you know I'm all for it you know you know Jo we always talk about people want to come back in town right Post in town and you talk about class reunions and if it's something that we could all do through the years right because we're all getting up there or whatever right you have Generations that come home for something and you're talking about riding through the town and reminiscing asking to so and so of the houses
031right we were just talking about and there were so many memories growing up and great memories in this town right that people don't forget you know and I think it's something that we could try to get people to come together come see our school come see what we've done you know and just reminisce about the good things cuz when you walk in the high school you're going to say oh my God I remember this and you know what we still have the same football field and it looks damn good for as old as it is yeah let's face it so I think if we could do something like that too to bring people together because to get them to buy in even if each person throw 20 bucks you figure the years of generation it's
032cheaper than going somewhere to have a class reunion you could throw it in and you know we could do something that way even if we did a barbecue we do something to embrace the people to come see our school see the improvements and what we make together collectively so that those are just like you must have been about three great ideas there I love the barbecue thing and the whole like class reunions and stuff like that and getting people more involved in um there was this like crazy idea I had where I was thinking that like the snack bar we would make it really like you know kind of like a more like you know people will relax and do that kind of thing and hang out outside like see your name on a plaque
033in the high school from years ago you'll see stuff like that that's a good reminder of the good and the athletes through the uh Generations are or scholarships or you know just there's a lot of talent that came out of keensburg that people don't know about right we had people in the FBI and here and there and everywhere or just whatever so there's so much good but I think that you can show your children or your grandchildren or if you're lucky enough to have a parent alive that still gets to remember doing things I think that's the community outreach will bring in money quicker yeah nowadays than asking probably for a big donation because with what's going on you just don't know but if you got a lot of people and you give a lot
034you're going to raise that $30,000 pretty quick yeah um I'm pretty confident we're going to get there I don't know how and I don't know where but uh you you just came another idea I think is really really a great idea and it's separate from this it's uh but it also is related and they talking about a lot of talent like came out of Kingsburg and and they don't have like a particular reason to go back other things you're talking about like people that like I work for the New York to Reserve Bank right and I work City with J Moran I've been like I mean I I took a strange path to get there and stuff like that but I think that there's people like me like you know I know that uh should
035come back and talk to the students and like could do something like that um like you talk about the barbecues stuff like that maybe it's one of those things after the game hang around we're going to have a couple people talking like so people who understand like when they get out of school what it's all like you know I mean and and I got to tell you that coming back here and seeing the schools like the way like it's amazing like this is like amazing I think right here is where I got first tackled playing on Lion's field you know could have been the pitcher M I think there's a baseball field there they'll say where's Lion's Shield yeah it's pretty funny and uh and the in the grammar school like wow that's amazing thank
036God CU I the other I love the other building but it was just Fallen apart I mean well you guys know more than anybody had to go so um anything else I don't want to take the whole meeting I don't know if you guys got a lot about that's it that's it well we keep talking I mean I'm fine with that also so thank you for coming oh thank you anybody have question so what do you guys do do you like vote on this and then you let me know or something like that or we don't have to do like an official vote we already did uh last month was it when we when we met and we discussed a little bit also and the straw pole consensus is that we wanted to move forward
037okay for me to start like reaching out um Chang I think that's yeah that's where we were at you know maybe Chris could talk to his brother and uh ask for he here uh introduction like you know maybe we could uh start on that that would be really helpful dead end you know works here also oh yeah yeah so that'd be great and then uh and I'm gonna get in touch um with uh Sandy who was talking to me about the Facebook thing so um the only other thing I have is this is the biggest hurdle I was telling I was telling mik this that uh um I need to get a charitable organization started somehow and so absolutely certain I can't use like the the the school account absolutely certain yeah okay so% going
038to have to invest money to like get that I which is not a problem I just need to know how much isn't waiting for the other account firm down to to call me back so I'll get you another one tomorrow give me the other one and then I'll you know follow up and if that doesn't work then I'll just go online and figure it out myself it's not that close I have a CPA I you think I should every time I look at like this is more legal than anything anyway 3C something getting this thing like you know position so that people know what's in there and where the money's going I think it's everything and they get a tax thank you all right no questions I going to say does anybody usually we open
039up to the public for any questions does anybody have any questions at all have you sp anybody the uh no um yeah well yes I have ginger think I don't know how but somebody gave it to Meo yeah and then so yeah this has been going on it's been ongoing dialogue for a couple years now so people are they know about it I didn't want to body anymore because it was just kind of like I didn't know where we're going to go but when we were talking I had told you that we were 5031 and yeah and then then like you said any want to go and start and not have I mean in the back of my mind I was really hoping be able to use the bank account for you guys but U
040that's fine we'll keep it all separate just the1 okay so I didn't understand what you just said now I got that so you and I have to [Applause] talk that's really did you get a letter like a donation letter just people know what they're doing so if I said hey do you want us talk something this is what it's for they don't know anybody like that could you email that to me great idea and so yes I can and I can put together like a little form letter basically just says this is what we're doing you know and we're looking for and after we talk to Ginger about like the uh there number that has to be on there that'd be great and I'll model it after what we do for the uh the Hall
041of Fame when those letters go out so should be pretty straightforward oh that's great I feel a lot better was really B whole you know that the getting that that done is just the you know and then I got to do my taxes but anyway thanks a lot thank you very I was suggest um red B Regional when they were fundraising money for their lights they had like a big board out in front of the school and basically like in I don't know if it was $2,000 increments I don't remember but it was like every time you hit a milestone they like colored just so I think it'll just be in everybody's face and it's a visual and it's a goal right like those light bulbs you see it kind ofs go basically it's whatever
042you to do $5,000 and usually like if you do like $500 donation it's like you're sham no no no not that it's just like so you basically just shade in and and and every time you color it and then you can see where you are as far as get your goal what is it 30,000 30,000 M theirs was like 100 I'm just saying they did the art to no I'm good something anything further the field information this time I don't um at this time do we we have on there there any questions comments or concerns from the public for any other topics they said no no all right closing that portion um this time iend a motion to adjourn it Judy Ken all in favor any opposed sorry I was