Two schools like new as school year begins
Hammarskjold work slated for completion in September 2008
BY VINCENT TODARO Staff Writer

EAST BRUNSWICK - Students arriving at the Central and Lawrence Brook schools next week will get a real treat, in the form of almost completely new buildings.

Construction on additions and renovations at Central, on Cranbury Road, is almost complete, with only a few "punch list" items remaining, according to School Business Administrator Bernardo Giuliana. Lawrence Brook, on Sullivan Way, is also nearly finished, with the exception of a fifth-grade classroom wing expected to come online next month.

Meanwhile, work to build a mostly new Hammarskjold Middle School is ongoing, and the two-year project is slated for completion by the beginning of the 2008-09 school year. The Hammarskjold project is "moving along very nicely," Giuiliana said. The construction taking place outside the existing building has minimal effect on students.

Voters approved a $106.1 million referendum in December 2004 for the additions and improvements at the three schools.

The 26 additional classrooms at the elementary schools will allow students districtwide to return to their "home schools," those closest to where they live, while expanding the overcrowded middle school to accommodate 1,700 students. The current building's capacity is 800, though 1,550 are enrolled.

PHOTOS BY ERIC SUCAR staff The future Hammarskjold Middle School building is already visible alongside the existing school, which has been over its capacity for many years. School officials have long described the middle school overcrowding as their most pressing facilities problem.

When the school year begins Sept. 10, Giuliana said, the schools will open without complications from construction, though fifthgraders at Lawrence Brook will be housed in an alternate location until the wing is completed.

The old areas of Central and Lawrence Brook - which are 56 and 48 years old, respectively - have been "completely refurbished," and fit seamlessly with the new wings and other additions, Giuliana said.

"You really could not tell where the old ones begin and end," he said.

In addition to the 14 new classrooms, the Central School received a new cafetorium, gymnasium, media center and office areas. In addition, the basic infrastructure of the building has been improved, including new roofs, lighting, floors, ceiling tiles, bathrooms, kitchen, plumbing, and heating and electrical systems.

"Every area has been redone," Giuliana said.

Previously, the gymnasium was also used as the cafetorium and auditorium. Now the gym is separate, and the cafetorium doubles as an auditorium.

The situation is similar at Lawrence Brook, which received 12 new classrooms. The new cafetorium will serve as an auditorium, but now there is a separate gym. In addition, the school received new plumbing, bathroom facilities, and a new kitchen and media center.

Giuliana said the plan all along has been to have both schools fully functional by now, but Lawrence Brook presented a much more complex challenge, and officials ultimately realized it would take an extra month to finish the job.

Giuliana said that, in addition to alleviating crowding at the elementary and middle school levels, the construction will provide a better learning environment, with better heating and lighting systems, and more natural light.

"Students will essentially be going into new facilities that will have a very positive impact on learning," he said. "It's a much improved learning experience."