CORRECTION/UPDATED
William E. Cleary Sr. | CNBNews
CNBNews photo credit
CNBNews believes that the structure has never been maintained based on its appearance. The washed-out white oval on the right depicts a cub lion sitting before books. This sign is just a few feet from Market Street a main route for people coming in and out of the city. What impression do those people have of the school district and the City of Gloucester City when they view this dilapidated structure?
A view of the same sign reveals the rotting plywood and pieces of concrete that broke away from the damaged structure. The school opened in the mid-1990s and cost taxpayers of Gloucester City and the state of New Jersey an estimated $20 million to build. The preschool addition, which opened in 2004, cost $11 million.
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GLOUCESTER CITY, NJ (March 21, 2025)(CNBNews)--Anyone passing by the concrete signs welcoming students and parents to the Cold Spring School campus at both ends of Cold Springs Drive can see they are both in urgent need of repair and have been neglected for decades.
In the top photo, the cement foundation of the school’s Market Street sign has broken away. The sign has somehow been damaged, and the damage was covered with plywood. However, this makeshift cover has seen better days; it is now faded and rotting. There are chunks of cement that are lying on the ground nearby. It’s also apparent that the sign has never been painted or power washed, highlighting further neglect.
The second sign is located at the entrance to the Cold Springs Pre-School addition, where Cold Springs Drive leads into Thompson Avenue. It, too, is dilapidated. Weeds are growing in the cups that once held the ground lighting that lit up the sign at night. All of the protective light coverings are scattered about. Like the Market Street sign, it has never been power-washed.
CNBNews photo credit
(MARCH 21, 2025)--The Pre-School sign is located at the end of Cold Springs Drive, at the junction with Thompson Avenue. The protective light grills are lying all about. The electrical components that housed the spotlights that once illuminated the sign are now holding weeds and trash. As shown in the photo, this structure is also covered with dirt, and the cement needs to be power-washed.
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Soon, the Gloucester Board of Education will likely file a request for new signs due to the current condition of these two. And, you can bet that these new signs will be electronic ones with all the bells and whistles. Since Gloucester City is an SDA district New Jersey taxpayers, including those living in this community will pay for both. Had they been properly maintained, there would have been no need for replacement. The New Jersey Schools Development 
Authority (SDA) is the State agency responsible for fully funding and managing the new construction, modernization, and renovation of school facilities projects in 31 school districts known as the SDA Districts.
Very few people living here today are aware that there was a plan in place, that would have negated the construction of both the Cold Springs school and the Middle School.
In the 1980s Dr. Thomas Sykes, the school superintendent had presented a plan to upgrade all the Neighborhood Schools for a cost of $20 million. The state would pay half of that cost and the school district would float a bond to pay the other half. The owner of the Hughes Avenue Apartments had the property sold. The new owner was going to build a 55 and over development. There were four neighborhood schools: Brown Street, Broadway, Highland Park and Hunter Street. Each of those schools was serviced by one custodian. The school district had approximately 180 employees. Today the district employs approximately 26 custodians, some of who are assigned to the high school, and the number of teachers and support staff is estimated at 400.
CORRECTION:
Gloucester City School District employs 503 people, not 400 as previously reported by CNBNews. ~source National Center for Educational Stats
The back door meetings to name Gloucester City an Abbott District also continued with the building of the Middle School. There was a problem; there weren't enough students to warrant spending millions on the construction of a Middle School, according to a reliable source.
Before the demolition of the Highland Park School, we met with a former School Board member who informed us that local and state taxpayers spent $5 million to renovate the building for use as an alternative school serving 73 students. It was also used for the Adult Education program. However, years later, those students were moved to the high school building to demonstrate to the state that the district's high school was overcrowded and needed a new middle school, according to the Board member, who requested anonymity. Today, one wing at the High School remains empty. After speaking with our source, we reached out to School Superintendent Dennis Vespe and Business Administrator Teri Weeks to inquire about the cost of demolishing the Highland Park School. We also sought a comment regarding the former School Board member's statement. Weeks informed us that the demolition cost was $254,400. However, we never received a response from the school district concerning the former board member's claim.
The Gloucester City Public School District is classified as an Abbott/SDA district, one of 31 such districts in New Jersey. Such districts are defined as "poorer urban districts" or "special needs districts" based on socioeconomic factors, evidence of educational failure, and a high percentage of disadvantaged students requiring specialized education. Funding for these districts comes from property taxes paid by residents in New Jersey. The school district’s annual budget is approximately $52 million, with about $30 million contributed yearly by New Jersey taxpayers to maintain Cold Springs Schools, the Middle School, and Gloucester High School. Currently, a partial roof repair at the high school is underway, with costs exceeding one million dollars.
Those responsible for maintaining the Cold Springs campus are setting a poor example for the students and parents who pass by these markers every day. We believe the city lacks community pride and we have published photos to support our assertion.
Walking around Gloucester City, one can find litter scattered about, derelict cars, and unlicensed vehicles lacking proper registration stickers parked on city-owned lots, and residential and commercial properties, such as the three vehicles parked on the side of the former barber shop building at 243 S. Broadway for the last eight-plus years. Previously the building was a flower shop, owned by Charles Sarlo Sr. The owner of those vehicles, who lives in Philadelphia, told CNBNews that he would be fined heavily by the housing officer in Philly, so he brought them to Gloucester City. When we first noticed those three antique vehicles we talked with Brian Morrell the part-time city administrator who is also the city police chief. Morrell told us it wasn't the job of the police department to ticket those vehicles. It was the job of the housing office. Why he didn't notify the housing office at the time to have them removed is unknown.
An auto repair shop on South Broadway is also allowed to block the sidewalk in front of its property, forcing pedestrians to walk on the street. CNBNews has highlighted similar issues over the years, hoping for improvements and a resurgence of community pride in our beloved city of Gloucester City. But our attempts to better the city are met instead by politicians and school board members who claim that our reporting is false, that we are nitpicking and are just a troublemaker. We expect that these same types of individuals will say something similar about our latest article to improve our City.
Let's take a moment to explore our definition of community pride in greater detail. Community pride embodies a deep sense of belonging and connection to our neighborhood, which begins with active involvement and engagement. For those who are physically able, volunteering is a fundamental way to contribute, whether it’s by lending a hand at local events, organizing clean-up efforts in public spaces, or offering support to neighbors in need.
It involves small but impactful actions like taking the time to pick up litter, cleaning up after our dogs and cats, and maintaining our properties—such as mowing the lawn, raking leaves, and ensuring the area is free of debris—demonstrating commitment to the community’s appearance and well-being. These efforts not only enhance the beauty of our surroundings but also foster a sense of pride in where we live.
We have written column after column showing you what we are seeing hoping that someday the feeling of community pride will reverberate throughout our community. We are just trying to make a difference. And if successful our community will become a better place to live and work. To those politicians and school board members who have a problem with our criticism, I suggest you read President Truman’s remarks to his staff in 1949, after becoming president: "If you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen.”
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