Pingry Could Someday Move Full Campus to Bernards Twp.

sent representatives to this week's to informally update township officials about future plans for the private school's 200-acre campus off Martinsville Road — including the possibility that the school may sometimes combine grades K to 5 from its Short Hills campus with the middle and upper school grades already in Bernards.

But that might not happen for 20 years, if it ever does, the school's architect told the board last Tuesday. The school's spokespersons said they were submitting no definite plans during the appearance before the board, but just wanted to update the township planners on their vision for the next few years — and beyond.

In the meantime, Pingry's architect, Tim Whitney, outlined more definite projects on the drawing board, for which school officials said fundraising already has begun.

Whitney displayed an exhibit showing the main facility, which recently was reroofed and solar panels. He said the campus had opened in Bernards in the 1980s. The school's website said that grade 6 had moved to the campus in 2007.

Whitney said the two projects that are most definite, and projected for development within the next two to five years, are a 22,000-square-foot sports building and the relocation of tennis courts to replace courts that are not in good shape.

Whitney said there is no final design for the sports building, although preliminary fundraising has begun. The sports facility would include a relocated fitness center and areas for wrestling and fencing now in the main building, he said. The school would like to add a squash court to the new sports facility, he said.

The tennis courts are envisioned for development within a similar time frame, he said.

Whitney said other items — possible projects about five to 10 years in the future — include the reconfiguration of sports fields, possibly a synthetic turf field similar to one built a few years ago, and improvement and possible reconfiguration of the track and football field.

He also mentioned that the long-term goal is to move parking further away from the main building, except for some handicapped spaces. Upon questioning by the board, he said that the details of a new parking plan have not been worked out.

The "biggest unknown," Whitney said, looking far out at least 20 years into the future, is whether Pingry's lower campus, now serving about 255 students in kindergarten through grades five, will someday relocate to one campus in the Martinsville section of Bernards.

"The school is saying that's a possibility some 20-plus years in the future," he told the Planning Board. Pingry's total K to 12 enrollment is 1,060 students, the school website says.