BY JANE MEGGITT
Staff Writer

UPPER FREEHOLD - Cuts will have to be made to the new middle school project.

The Upper Freehold Regional Board of Education discussed a value engineering analysis at its Feb. 7 meeting to decide what items to leave out of the new middle school, which was supposed to go on Ellisdale Road but could go on Breza Road.

During the meeting, the board voted 6-3 to hold a new referendum asking voters if they would support transferring the middle school to an approximately 118-acre site on Breza Road at an aggregate additional cost not to exceed $13.2 million.

The board proposed using $1 million in existing funds from the capital project fund and allocating the additional $12.2 million with long-term school bonds. This money would be in addition to the $36.8 million voters allocated in a December 2004 referendum for the construction of a new middle school on Ellisdale Road.

The Ellisdale Road property has soil remediation and wastewater issues, while the Breza Road site is located in a sewer district.

The new referendum will go out to the public in the April 17 Board of Education election.

Interim Superintendent of Schools Robert Smith said the value engineering report is the result of a 21/2-hour conference call he had with the project's preconstruction manager, Paul D'Alto, of the Marlton-based construction firm of Hill International, architect David Fraytak, Assistant Superintendent of Schools Maybeth Conway, middle school Principal Mark Guterl and Board of Education liaison Bill Borkowski.

According to the report, eliminating certain items in the school project would save $844,545.

Board President Joseph Stampe said the items that would be eliminated would not have much impact on the school's design.

The report recommended eliminating the brick in the cafeteria patio and just using concrete, for a savings of $12,815. It also suggested using concrete instead of brick pavers on the sidewalks, which would save $12,000. Changing the brick Dumpster wall and substituting a wood picket fence would save anywhere between $15,000 and $30,000.

In addition, changing all the brick in the design of the building to another material could save $24,000; however, a schematic design for an accurate estimate would be needed. Simplifying the window configurations could save $13,000 but would require the full scope of the window modification. The school district could also save $25,000 by simplifying the curtain wall design, though more detail and a redesign are required.

Parging, which D'Alto said is applying masonry or plaster to protect a surface from water penetration, would be eliminated, for a savings of $75,000. To save $52,800, the skylight at the main entrance/lobby would be taken out.

Reducing or eliminating ceiling domes, vaults and gypsum board soffits would save $110,000. Getting rid of built-in seats in the auditorium and main lobbies would save $100,000.

A suggestion was also made to eliminate slate stools at all windows and substitute solid block, for a $37,500 savings. All metal shelving would be eliminated, saving $8,000. An additional $50,000 could be saved by not using fiber mesh concrete slabs on grade, although a state Department of Community Affairs (DCA) review would be required.

Deleting the dimming systems of the auditorium would save $53,600. Removing electrical relay panels in the library, media center, gymnasium and auxiliary gym would save $13,500, and using sheathed cable in lieu of conduit wherever allowed by code would save $150,000.

A site sign for the school would be eliminated, saving $18,750.

When board member Beth Trent asked if there would not be a sign in front of the building, D'Alto said that is correct but that lettering could be put on the building. He also said money for a site sign could come from public fundraising.

The group discussed but decided against eliminating all athletic fields, which would have saved $328,000; eliminating landscaping to save $7,000; changing stone wall caps to aluminum for a $35,000 savings; and eliminating the pitched shingle roofs at the gym and auditorium and the stairs in the two-story wing and front entrance.

Changing the roofs would have required a major redesign cost along with DCA approval.

The board also decided against reducing or eliminating bleachers in the gym, for a savings of $50,000; providing only shell space at the auditorium stage to save $325,000; and changing the cafeteria and auditorium to a cafetorium, which would have saved $250,000 to $425,000.