UFRSD tight on time for school's preconstruction
Superintendent: Permit process could make or break 2010 opening
BY JENNIFER KOHLHEPP Staff Writer

ALLENTOWN - The Upper Freehold Regional School District continues to make progress on the preconstruction phase of the new middle school project and to worry about the facility opening on time.

Since time is of the essence in obtaining the 14 required local and state issued permits for construction to start on time and the school to open by September 2010, the Board of Education and administration have been closely monitoring the process, according to Superintendent of Schools Richard Fitzpatrick. The permitting portion of the project will conclude with receiving a notice to proceed, he said.

Fitzpatrick said that the district has made great strides in the preconstruction efforts and has received and reviewed the geotechnical findings for the school site, which were partly found to be as expected and otherwise discovered to be better than expected.

"They all predict that the conditions for the footings of the structure have been met and in some cases are better," he said.

He further reported that a geothermal test well has been monitoring the ground temperatures at the property and that one more test pit has been dug to collect further data at the south end of the property for the wastewater treatment facility that will likely be built on-site.

At the board's Oct. 17 meeting, Fitzpatrick said, "We have had wonderful progress in many areas. Tell your friends and neighbors that permitting is a strenuous process but that it is all geared toward keeping the kids safe."

Board member William Borkowski reported at the meeting that all the applications for the permits for the construction of the bridge at the new school site have been submitted.

"The normal permit process would take six months, but we're looking for something faster than that," Borkowski said.

Fitzpatrick said that the bridge portion of the project will be the first visible sign of construction at the 114-acre site off Breza Road. The school district has to build a concrete bridge - which is now in the final design and bidding specification stage - across a stream at the edge of the property in order to have access into the site.

Since the school district has contracted not to purchase the property for the school until it receives all the approvals for the project, Borkowski said that the board will ask the current landowner if the district could build the bridge at the site without yet having ownership of the property.

"If [the landowner] accepts, we will immediately prepare the bids to build the bridge," he said.

Fitzpatrick said the access bridge will play a key role in keeping the construction project on schedule and that it is necessary to consult with the property owner about building the structure as soon as possible, even if that means prior to having all the permits and approvals for the school construction project.

"If we did not initiate this aggressive approach, it would push back the project three months and we would miss the September 2010 opening," he said.

The concrete bridge will cost $200,000, Fitzpatrick said.

"If we order just the cement structure and the project falls apart, our exposure is limited to just paying for the cement structure," he said, adding that even in the faroff chance that the district could not be built on the site, the bridge could be of value to a future landowner and could be resold to recoup its cost.

"I am urging the board to take a risk on this because the other side could be catastrophe heightened," Fitzpatrick said.

Borkowski said that the school district would most likely bid out and award the bridge construction project by January to March of next year, and in a worst-case scenario by April 2008.

In the event that the school construction project is bid out and comes in under the amount that the school district allotted for in its referendum, the board has decided to allow the proposal for the project to include the construction of two additional classrooms and an outdoor shed for maintenance equipment.

The middle school building has been designed with four areas where a total of eight additional classrooms could easily be added.

"The two additional classrooms in the courtyard area would be the easiest to build," Fitzpatrick said, "and those could end up as part of this project."

Board President Joseph Stampe gave an example of a situation in which the two classrooms and shed would be built. He said that if the price of steel or other construction materials dropped between the time the referendum was drawn up and the time the project went out to bid, the school district could essentially have the add-ons at no extra cost. According to Stampe, if the added structures put the cost of the project over the price the referendum established, the school district would not have an obligation to build them even though they would be in the bid proposal.

On recommendation from the superintendent, the board also unanimously voted to allow Hillsborough-based American Water to provide design phase services for the Treatment Works Approval permit for the new middle school site in an amount not to exceed $80,000. According to the board, the services are part of the sewer services agreement currently under legal review by American Water, which is the firm that will design and operate the wastewater treatment facility on the site.

"This is just a vehicle to help us move forward with the design [of the wastewater treatment facility] so we do not have to wait for everything to go through their legal department," Fitzpatrick said of the measure.

Construction of the wastewater treatment facility on the property cannot be bid until after the district receives Treatment Works Approval from the N.J. Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The board expects that approval no later than January 2008.

For the construction of the wastewater facility at the site, the school district also has to apply to the DEP for the required New Jersey Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NJPDES) permit. This permit must be issued before any construction activity may begin but, according to Borkowski, is not necessary for starting the bridge construction. The NJPDES program helps protect the state's ground and surface water quality by assuring the proper treatment and discharge of wastewater and its residuals and stormwater.

Fitzpatrick also announced that Paul D'Alto, of Marlton-based Hill International, will be leaving the company for a better paying job closer to his hometown and will therefore no longer serve as the project's construction manager. Gabrielle Dijon will replace D'Alto on the project.

"We will convey the need for her to be vigilantly abreast of every one of these permits and to make certain that there is not one opportunity for oversight," Fitzpatrick said. "The permit process could make or break this deadline."

The next Board of Education workshop meeting will take place at 7 p.m. Nov. 7 in the board office building. The next regular board meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Nov. 19 in the Upper Freehold Regional Elementary/Middle School's media center.