School construction well under way in E.B.
BY VINCENT TODARO
Staff Writer

EAST BRUNSWICK - The school district this summer made a great deal of progress on a $106.1 project to bring additions and renovations at three schools.

To bring the community up-to-date on the work, the Board of Education had its architect, Jeffrey Venezia, present a construction update during its Sept. 7 meeting.

Venezia said that thanks to the extra week of work made possible by delaying the start of the school year, the district was able to get a good head start on the construction. Schools in East Brunswick opened on Monday, while most other districts started the prior week. The extra time also allowed for "less pressure" on the construction crews.

Construction is being done at Hammarskjold Middle School, much of which is being replaced with a new building, and at the Lawrence Brook and Central elementary schools. Work at the two elementary schools began last spring, while Hammarskjold construction started in early summer.

The overall project is designed to ease overcrowding at the elementary and middle school levels, and return students district-wide to the elementary schools closest to their homes.

Venezia said that when work on Lawrence Brook is completed, it will be like a "whole new school."

Among the changes will be a new cafeteria, kitchen and preschool classrooms. The cafeteria should be finished after the start of the new calendar year, he said, and district spokeswoman Patricia LaDuca said the same is true for the kitchen and classrooms.

In addition, there will be a new music room and main entrance, Venezia said.

LaDuca said there is already an improved area for school buses to drop off and pick up.

The old multipurpose room has been renovated for use as a gymnasium, Venezia said. The basketball hoops are now going up, as is the wall padding.

The prekindergarten addition has four new classrooms, which will likely come online in March or April, he said.

The windows and brickwork will be changed so the school has a "cohesive look," he said.

As for the Central school, Venezia said the main addition for the gym and kitchen will be done after Jan. 1.

There is new staff parking in front of the building, which is already being used, LaDuca said.

There will also be a new kitchen addition to go with the new cafetorium, Venezia said, plus a new media center and more classrooms.

The school will also receive new HVAC and electric, as will Lawrence Brook, he said.

Neither Central nor Lawrence Brook requires classroom trailers during the construction, because new space is being created before old areas are taken offline, Venezia said.

Both projects involve a complete gutting of the schools, he said. LaDuca said the old parts of the schools are being renovated, though the work is not finished. Both are also receiving large new additions.

The schools are slated to be finished by the beginning of the 2007-08 school year, LaDuca said.

As for Hammarskjold, Venezia noted how the 1996 addition has been maintained, but there will be gym and cafeteria additions.

"Except for the 1996 addition, it's going to be a whole new school," LaDuca said.

The district is now preparing for those additions, she said, and the work is slated to be complete some time in 2008.

Venezia said the cafeteria will have a similar layout to the one at Churchill Junior High School.

The auditorium will have 500 fixed seats, and room for 250 temporary seats actually located in two multipurpose rooms.

A new entrance and exit at Ryders Lane is also being built, he said.

Superintendent of Schools Jo Ann Magistro said the district was aware the new drop-off points could cause some confusion for parents and students. As a result, the district used additional police and administrators to assist with the school openings.