O.B. school parking lot to be used by commuters BY JESSICA SMITH Staff Writer OLD BRIDGE - Some residents who commute to work will have one less headache to deal with in their hectic morning rush. The Board of Education and Township Council have entered into an interlocal agreement to provide 59 parking spaces for commuters at the Carl Sandburg Middle School. "I'm very appreciative to the Board of Education," Mayor Jim Phillips said. "I think it's a good thing for the commuters of Old Bridge to have more spaces. This is a win for the people of Old Bridge." The spaces will be used only by Old Bridge residents, who are required to obtain permits to use any of the 900 existing spaces in town, Phillips said. There will be a daily user fee for the spots at the school, which will be collected in a pay-box on the premises. At the council meeting Monday night, both Council President Patrick Gillespie and Councilman Kevin Calogera thanked the school board for the extra parking spaces, but Calogera had reservations. "My only concern is charging people for parking when they're paying exorbitant taxes already," Calogera said. Residents who pay school taxes should not be required to pay extra to use the property for parking, Calogera said. Though he said he would vote against the parking because of the fees, Calogera voted yes because of the need, he said. The council voted unanimously in favor of the agreement. The fees charged will go toward the maintenance of the parking lot, which will be taken care of by the school district. It will also pay for the lining of the parking spaces, school officials said. The lot is located across from Lombardi Field and is adjacent to a Route 9 bus stop. Before the Old Bridge High School campuses were merged, the lot was used by high school seniors. Currently, its use has been limited to storage of sand and other materials. The school board voted unanimously in favor of the agreement at its meeting Jan. 16. "We looked at our facilities and found that this particular area would not interfere with any school programs, and would not have any direct interaction with the students," Schools Superintendent Simon Bosco said. Phillips had contacted Bosco previously asking him to help with the lack of commuter parking spaces in town, Bosco said. Annette Hopman, a Board of Education member who also sits on the town's Shared Services Committee, said the board has had shared services with the township for a number of years, and that she is happy to take part in the agreement and help with the commuter parking issue. "We need to increase our parking capacity," Gillespie said. "We need to not stop here, we need to look for more spots wherever we can. I know I can say on my own behalf, I'm committed to do that."