School project gains foothold

LOPATCONG TWP. | With renewed confidence in the state to foot the bill, Phillipsburg School District officials say planning is set to begin next month on the long-awaited high school.

Acting Superintendent George Chando said the focus now is on academic programs and how they tie into design.

"Right now it's a project that begins with the (Phillipsburg) Board of Education as they approve our academic programs for the building," he said.

Chando on Wednesday voiced his trust in the New Jersey Schools Development Authority, the agency designated to allocate $3.9 billion in state money for school projects statewide.

"I feel confident with the current SDA agency," Chando said.

The Lopatcong Township school is estimated to cost $174.4 million, the most expensive among the 53 projects approved in July by the authority.

Chando said the authority is set to avoid mistakes like those of its predecessor, the defunct Schools Construction Corp. That agency ran out of money for the high school in 2005, leaving students to languish in trailers at the undersized Hillcrest Boulevard school.

"The SDA made it very clear that their cost projections have kept with modern construction costs," Chando said.

Board President Paul Rummerfield said his interaction with Scott Weiner, the authority's chief executive officer, bolstered his confidence as well.

Schools Development Authority spokesman Larry Hanover said Wednesday the agency has $300 million in reserves as a safety net for unforeseen expenses.

"The reserve is designed to give us the cushion," Hanover said. "If we're off, we have room to adjust."

The agency plans to re-forecast costs monthly, and Hanover insists the authority will make good on its deal with the district.

"We will build everything we say we'll build," he said.

Phillipsburg school officials expect an enrollment of about 1,800 students over the next five years, but Chando said the school would be designed with a capacity of 2,100.

Besides this room for growth, Chando said, the design would make it easier for future additions and renovations.

If all goes according to plan, groundbreaking for the high school is expected in June, and construction should stretch about 26 to 30 months, according to school officials.

Rummerfield said he hopes to share developments of the project with the public during school board meetings.

Once the new facility opens, plans for the existing high school call for moving the district's middle school students into the older building.

Rummerfield said serious work would need to be conducted on the building. Because the project is so far off, plans remain uncertain.