Bus Depot Deal Ends Years-Long Fight Between Sayreville And School District

The borough will waive $600,000 in school-security payments as part of an agreement resolving the legal battle over where the district will house its buses.

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SAYREVILLE, NJ — After years of disputed plans, neighborhood opposition and a court battle, Sayreville’s long-running fight over a permanent school bus depot is coming to an end.

The borough and the Sayreville Board of Education have reached a settlement allowing the school district to move forward with plans for a transportation complex on Crossman Road.

As part of the agreement, the borough will waive $200,000 in annual payments from the school district for three years. Those payments were required under an agreement funding the district’s school-security program.

The $600,000 waiver is intended to help the district cover costs connected to the bus depot.

In exchange, the borough and school board will release their legal claims against each other, ending litigation that had reached the Appellate Division of New Jersey Superior Court.

How Did The Dispute Begin?

The borough and school district initially tried to work together on the project.

In May 2022, they signed an agreement to develop a bus depot on borough-owned property. That agreement was connected to a proposed site on Cheesequake Road.

The two sides later disagreed over the terms and whether the agreement remained enforceable. The school board filed a lawsuit against the borough in 2023.

The case continued for several years and eventually reached the state’s appellate court.

While the lawsuit moved forward, the district continued looking for another place to house its transportation operation.

A Previous Location Faced Strong Opposition

One possibility involved school-owned athletic fields at 425 Woodland Avenue.

That proposal faced opposition from residents who wanted the fields preserved. A petition opposing the depot plan collected approximately 1,450 signatures.

Residents said the fields held community memories and contained a memorial honoring Wayne A. Grant, a Sayreville resident who was killed while serving in the Vietnam War.

“The baseball fields at 425 Woodland Avenue belong to the Sayreville Board of Education,” the petition stated. “Many of us have many memories here, and we don’t want them to go away.”

The district did not ultimately move forward with a transportation complex at that location.

The District Found Another Property

The Board of Education took a major step toward ending the search during its June 16 meeting.

The board approved an agreement with High Point Investments involving a Crossman Road property and authorized a $500,000 deposit from its capital reserve.

The $500,000 was not identified as the complete purchase price.

At the time, Superintendent Dr. Richard Labbe said the transaction remained subject to several requirements that had to be completed before the district could occupy the property.

Those requirements included infrastructure work and inspections. No timeline for opening the transportation complex was announced.

Board President Eloy Fernandez described the vote as a long-awaited moment for the district.

“I am so happy to finally vote on the transportation complex tonight,” Fernandez said.

Fernandez also credited Labbe with continuing to search for alternatives after previous proposals encountered obstacles.

“We finally think we came up with a good one,” Fernandez said.

What Does The Settlement Include?

The Borough Council voted to approve the settlement on July 20. Resolution 2026-217, included with the council’s Aug. 17 resolutions, formally recorded that action.

The resolution says the school board entered into a contract to purchase the Crossman Road property for its bus depot.

Under the settlement:

• The borough will waive the district’s $200,000 annual school-security payment for three years.
• The waiver will total $600,000.
• The money is intended to assist with expenses related to the transportation complex.
• The borough and school board will release their claims and defenses in the lawsuit.
• Borough officials are authorized to complete the settlement and mutual release.

The resolution states that the borough and school board reached the agreement following negotiations intended to settle the litigation.

What Happens Next?

The settlement resolves the court dispute, but it does not mean the new transportation complex is ready to open.

The district must still complete the property transaction and satisfy the remaining requirements connected to the site. Infrastructure work and inspections will also be needed before buses and transportation operations can move there.

A projected opening date has not been announced.

If the remaining steps are completed, the Crossman Road property would provide the district with the permanent transportation location it has sought for years.

Editor’s note: The borough’s settlement resolution identifies the property as 400 Crossman Road. Information presented during the earlier Board of Education process identified it as 4 Crossman Road.

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