Pearls of Wisdom

In May 2012, a proposal was made to the Fort Lee Board of Education.  One year later, in May 2013, after numerous roadblocks were placed to prevent this proposal from ever becoming a reality, a new commercial Scotsman Ice Maker was installed at the Lewis F. Cole Middle School Concession Stand.  On Thursday, May 30, 2013, for Middle School Field Day, for the first time ever, the kids had ICE readily available. 

There were numerous people to thank for their assistance with this project.  Through the generosity of numerous Fort Lee residents and organizations, the Ice Maker Project succeeded.   We extend our gratitude to Eddy Cohen of EPC Management for the donation of his time and expertise in the installation of this machine.  Without the support and assistance of Alan Keller, who was instrumental with his devotion of time and energy to the project, we could not have succeeded.  We thank all the Fort Lee High School coaches who supported the project, as well as Tom Hur, the excellent high school trainer.   We offer special thanks to Candee Romba, member of the BOE Building & Grounds committee (B&G), for donating her time to oversee the project.  

The Saga of an Ice Machine

In April 2012, a high school junior, Margo Grisanti, a member of the Fort Lee Girls Soccer Team, was struggling to carry a rather heavy bag onto the field.   I offered my assistance and inquired as to the contents of the bag.  She informed me that she had gone to a local store to purchase ice for the team (with her own money).  She explained that there was never any ice to cool the drinks or to treat injuries unless Tom, the trainer, carted ice down from the high school.  After recovering from my shock at the utterly ludicrous nature of that information, it was rather a basic deduction that the middle school needed an ice machine.  After years of frustration sitting through BOE  meetings, it was a simple extrapolation to realize that the best way to purchase an ice machine for the Lewis F. Cole Middle School was through private funding.  And so was born the Ice Maker project. 

Since then it has been proven that the one major error in my judgment was the belief that this project could be done expeditiously.    My experience over the last year plus has verified that nothing involving the Fort Lee BOE is every easy when inane bureaucratic rules have to be overcome and when small minds stand in the way.  It is also clear that, had this project been left to the devices of the Board of Education, there would never be an ice maker at the middle school.

My initial step was to present my idea at a private meeting with the administration at that time, i.e. Steven Engravalle, School Superintendent, and Arthur Levine, BOE chairman.   The meeting was set up, but at that time Mr. Engravalle began having personal issues, so he could not attend.  Sharon Amato, Asst. Superintendent attended the meeting in his absence.  Mr. Levine assured me that, not only was he in favor of the project, but it was his belief that there was a high probability that the BOE budget would be able to pay for the ice maker.  The project was verbally approved at that meeting, pending formal BOE approval. Unfortunately, Mr. Levine resigned from the BOE shortly afterward, leaving the project in limbo.  

When Yusang (Jim) Park became the newly appointed BOE President, I presented him with the details of the project.  He was also highly supportive, but wished to have full Board support.  So he requested that I follow certain protocols, to which I readily agreed.

The first major obstacle was obtaining support from the Superintendent.  This was never forthcoming from Mr. Engravalle, therefore the proposal was never on the BOE agenda at any meeting.  Note: The reason for this lack of approval became apparent much later when it became clear that a particular BOE member was deliberately sabotaging the entire project by pigeonholing the proposal.  To make matters worse, with the Steven Engravalle nightmare dominating the BOE meetings, no answers were ever forthcoming as to the reason behind the delays.   

When Mr. Engravalle took his leave of absence in November 2012, I began to pursue the project with Sharon Amato, Interim Superintendent, who was highly supportive of the project.  At this time, Mike Raftery, the new Athletic Director, also verbally promised his support.  However, in spite of their respective endorsements, I was never able to get the proposal for the project on the BOE agenda.   

After bringing up this issue at four Board meetings in a row, and refusing to leave the podium without an answer as to why it was not on the agenda after numerous promises, the truth was finally revealed.  Joseph Surace, a member of the Buildings & Grounds committee, was vehemently opposed to the project.  He had requested that the B & G supervisor, Jack DeNichilo, get some estimates on the cost of purchasing and installing an ice maker.   I was informed that Mr. DeNichilo apparently had obtained two estimates of $ 7000+ and $9000+..   Mr. DeNichilo had failed to consult with me on the project and displayed a complete and total lack of understanding of the type of ice maker that we were proposing.   It also showed a complete lack of insight on his part as to how to implement the project in an inexpensive and efficient manner.   This financial dilemma was quickly dispelled by our proposal, which showed that the project could be done for approximately $ 2000 by using a machine that would work on a standard 120V outlet, with no requirements for special wiring.   It was also clearly stated at this meeting that all funds needed for the project would be raised privately, i.e. it would not cost the BOE a dime.

When Mr. Surace finally owned up to his basic attempt to sabotage the entire project, he was confronted by several concerned citizens at the meeting who resented his position.   His feeble attempts to justify his position included the costs based on Mr. DeNichilo’s estimates, which had now been totally discarded, and his totally inane argument that if the student athletes on our sports teams had access to the machine, one of them could vandalize the machine, creating a potentially dangerous situation.   It is to BOE representative David Sarnoff’s credit that he verbally chastised Mr. Surace for this spurious argument.  In the end, the BOE agreed to dismiss Mr. Surace’s objection unilaterally by clarifying that only coaches and authorized personnel would have access to that room. 

After Mr. Surace’s dissenting vote was overruled by the support of virtually every other member of the Board, the next major obstacle was the fact that the Board of Education had absolutely no protocols in place to accept a donation of a $ 2000 ice maker and free labor by Eddy Cohen, president of EPC Management, a design contracting firm.    The Board attorney had to investigate the best manner to proceed. It was requested that a formal, written proposal, with all costs and details be provided to the Board.  When all these hurdles were finally overcome, the project moved forward and a letter was received from the BOE that the project had finally been approved.  One full year had passed.

Installation was relatively straightforward after the machine was delivered.   With the assistance of Sal, one of the Buildings and Grounds supervisors, Eddy Cohen installed copper tubing and the ice machine, at his own expense.  Unfortunately, a fitting did not come with the machine and had to be ordered separately. Finally with the generous assistance of Michael Garcia of M & M Plumbing Supplies and Alan Keller, President of the Fort Lee Soccer League, the installation was completed by Mr. Cohen at 10 P.M. on Wednesday, March 29, 2013, the evening before Field Day. 

As we move forward, there is one thought that needs to be paramount. This is about our kids, not about power or bureaucracy.   If community members want to assist to improve our school system, BOE members should be supportive or simply get out of the way.   It took one year to accomplish something that should have taken one month.  The final result:  children using the Lewis F. Cole Middle School athletic field will, now and in the future, have the necessary equipment to keep drinks cold and to have ice available for sports related injuries.