P'burg
school plans advance
Board approves schematics for
Andover-Morris.
Tuesday, December 21, 2004 • By LINDA LISANTI
• The Express-Times
PHILLIPSBURG -- Plans for an expanded and renovated
Andover-Morris School are progressing.
The school board Monday night unanimously approved
schematics presented by Houghton, Quarty & Warr
Architects, of Newton, N.J., allowing the project to move
forward into the design phase.
The single-story school at 712 S. Main St. is set to get
an $8 million makeover paid for by the state.
All the existing rooms in the school, built in the
1970s, will be refurbished and an addition will be built on
the east side of the building. The 15,000-square-foot
expansion will include a new community gym that can be used
after school and separate rooms for music, art, technology
and small-group instruction.
The existing gym will be made into a cafetorium,
according to plans showcased Monday.
Superintendent Gordon Pethick said the school is being
remodeled to eventually serve students in grades one and
two. Now, it serves grades three to five. The change is
several years away, he said.
Timing depends on how quickly the district's other
building projects proceed, especially construction of the
new high school off Belvidere Road in Lopatcong
Township.
Third-, fourth- and fifth-graders will eventually attend
the current middle school, while the current high school on
Hillcrest Boulevard will become the middle school.
"This is just another part of the puzzle we're trying to
put together," school board President Rod Pianelli
said.
In approving the plans, the board also OK'd the use of
drywall instead of block to replace walls. School officials
had raised concerns about the potential for mold.
But Frank Warr, a principal in the architectural firm,
assured the board that one was not superior. He also pointed
out that drywall would take less time.
The project is slated to be bid in September 2005.
Officials have said the construction will last between two
to three years.
During that time, the school will add six classrooms in
three temporary trailers outside.
Reporter Linda Lisanti can be reached at 610-258-7171 or
by e-mail at llisanti@express-times.com.
© 2004 The Express-Times. Used with
permission.
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