School Construction Projects Are Going Well, Says Board

Candace Braun

Construction on the three elementary schools and the middle school is well underway, said Lewis Goldstein, Princeton Regional School District's assistant superintendent for human relations, public and community affairs, at a Monday press conference held as an update on school construction. Mr. Goldstein also announced that a groundbreaking ceremony for the high school construction is due to take place around the third week in November.

The high school's new football field was enjoyed for the first time on Saturday, when Princeton High School played West Windsor Plainsboro North at homecoming, where they lost 16 to 3. However the stadium was full, said Mr. Goldstein.

"It was great weather, there was a lot of enthusiasm," he said. "It was one of the biggest crowds in Princeton history." The next game set to be played on the field is a girls' soccer game on Thursday.

Overall, the Board said construction has been progressing well at the four schools. However, one large setback due to weather has taken place at John Witherspoon Middle School, where groundwater reached approximately eight feet in the basement. This required design and installation of an engineered bracing system to protect the existing building, which held up construction on the school by approximately six weeks.

"Because of the weather, a lot of changes needed to be made," said Dan DelMar, a representative who spoke on behalf of Epic Construction, Inc., the school's construction company.

Mr. Goldstein said money was taken out of the school's contingency fund to correct the problem.

Gym and pool construction is currently underway at the middle school. The basement area has been completed and the boilers have been installed in the boiler room, which is 90 percent complete. Temporary boilers will be used until the room is finished. In addition, the cafeteria and kitchen areas, which were the only areas worked on over the summer, are 90 percent complete.

Elementary Schools

At Johnson Park, office space and boiler renovations should be completed by the week of October 20. Shortly after, faculty will be allowed to move into the new offices. The parking lot at the school is 85 percent complete, and the summer renovations of two classrooms were finished on time. Roofing on the school, which started at the end of the summer, will be completed within the next month on the existing school and new additions.

When construction on the high school begins, the field at Johnson Park will be paved over for high school faculty parking. The area will be returned to a field after construction is over.

At Community Park, the boiler is completed and operational at this time. The sanitary problem which occurred at the school at the beginning of the school year has been corrected. A sewer inspecting and cleaning company inspected the line with a fiber optic scope and cleaned it with a high pressure jet. There has been no report of problems since the inspection. In addition, asbestos problems have also been cleared up.

Littlebrook's staff lounge and parking lot expansion were both completed this summer. All new toilets and sinks have been installed in existing classrooms, and asbestos tiles have been replaced with new vinyl composition tile. Currently, 90 percent of the exterior masonry is complete. The school's roof construction, which the board received complaints about from both teachers and parents, has ceased for the time being, but will continue very soon.

"I cannot overemphasize that the roofing will be done in the least invasive way," said Mr. Goldstein. He said that an understanding has been reached between the school and the construction company, and roofers will start work around 6 a.m. each day to avoid bothering students.

"We will meet with each school and discuss a time schedule," said Mr. DelMar. "If it becomes a problem, we will stop [working]."

At Riverside, several areas have been demolished and reconfigured, including the nurse's area, faculty toilets, student toilets, and plumbing and electrical wiring. A new staff lounge and parking lot have also been completed. Roofing and exterior masonry work will begin soon at the school. In addition, changes to the Health and Safety Plan for the district are now being looking into by a six-person committee.

The $81.3 million project in the district has been underway since the spring. Recently the School Board awarded a construction bid to Ernest Bock and Sons, Inc., for the amount of $32.8 million for the high school construction project. This was almost $3 million over budget, and funds set aside for furniture and fixtures in the other four schools will be used to offset the difference. Construction on the elementary schools is due to be complete one year after the initial start, two years after for the middle school, and three years after for the high school.

Overall, School Board members said that they are satisfied with the current progress on the schools. "We're going along well, they're working hard," said School Board President Charlotte Bialek. "I think we're satisfied and looking forward to the high school construction."