Chabad to Lease McGinnis School

The Township Council agreed to lease the McGinnis building to the East Brunswick Chabad, Monday.

The 30-year lease calls for the Chabad to pay the township $35,000 a year to use the building. At the end of the lease, Chabad will have the option of purchasing the building.

“We came to a really good compromise for East Brunswick,” said Councilman Michael Hughes. “The Chabad is going to renovate it and bring it up to code, so there are no tax dollars involved. We wanted to show people that we could get this done. It will generate revenue and not put a hit on everybody’s tax bill. It’s small, but it’s recurring revenue.”

Rabbi Aryeh Goodman said Chabad of East Brunswick wants to use the building as a community education center. Community education is a central tenant for the Chabad, which already offers a wide range of programs and activities for youth, women and adults. He also said he hopes to serve the entire community, and not just Chabad.

“We’re going to renovate it,” said Rabbi Goodman. “Chabad is dedicated and committed to partnering with East Brunswick  to better service the families, youth, children, and residents. We really want to make a center where everyone’s welcome and better position East Brunswick to be a hub for young families.”

Rabbi Goodman said he would like work to begin on the building in February and the project completed by September.

In May, the council declared McGinnis School “surplus,” allowing the township to seek alternative uses for the property. The building has been unused by the municipality for years. Township officials have said it would be a major expense to bring the building up to code.

According to Mark Nonestied, host of EBTV's "On the History Trail," the McGinnis School represents the second generation of schools that were built in the township. The first being wood framed one room school houses.

By the early 1900s many of those buildings were inadequate for education purposes and the improvement came in the form of buildings like McGinnis School. They were usually masonry construction (McGinnis is brick with terra cotta trim) and they had multiple classrooms, central heat systems and large windows for lots of natural light and fresh air. 

For farming families living in rural East Brunswick in the 1920s McGinnis School, and its nearby neighbor Weber school, were the pinnacle of the educational system in the township, according to Nonestied.