Moves closer to its referendum for new high school and renovations to middle school.
By: Mark Moffa
WASHINGTON The school board last week moved two steps closer to its referendum for a $51.8 million high school and a $10.5 million addition to Pond Road Middle School.
Two professional service contracts were approved for work related to the Dec. 11 referendum, in which voters will be asked to approve the spending plans.
A $4.2 million swimming pool for the high school also may be included in the project.
The tax impact of the plan is still unknown, as the board is waiting for the state to announce how much aid it will provide for the construction projects.
At a meeting Aug. 28, the board granted Bovis Land Lease and Spiezle Architectural Group $24,000 and $29,000 respectively.
Board member Kevin Schick said the Spiezle contract will pay the architectural firm for services already performed and work yet to be done.
Mr. Schick said demographic, topographic, and environmental studies already were done and that Spiezle needs to submit a modified long-range facility plan to the state for the school district.
"You would not believe the complexity of the information that’s required (by the state)," he said.
Bovis will be doing pre-referendum construction management and oversight for the district.
"They act as our representative to make sure that all the construction work is done in our best interest," he said. "Unless you have someone in your district who knows enough about engineering or building you need someone to oversee everything."
Mr. Schick said the board discovered it could have saved money on the recent Sharon School addition if the plans were reviewed by a firm such as Bovis beforehand.
He said Bovis will review the architect’s cost estimates for the project and deliver suggestions to the board. Bovis, he added, will help the board determine if its cost projections are accurate.
He also said the company will help the board ensure its high school is a "high-performance" building.
A high-performance building, Mr. Schick said, uses the latest in florescent lighting and geo-thermal heating and cooling to provide a cost-efficient facility.
"It may cost a little more up front, but in the long run it is much cheaper to operate and more environmentally friendly," he said.
The latest in school building design also maximizes ambient lighting or natural daylight. Mr. Schick said. He said studies show that natural lighting in schools improves student performance.
Mr. Schick also said modern materials and fixtures can be used to maximize indoor air quality.
Currently, Washington’s high school students attend Lawrence High School under a sending-receiving relationship that will expire in 2005.
Enrollment projections show 2,002 students at Lawrence High School by 2011. The facility can hold 1,326 students. Of those 2,002 students, 922 are expected from Washington.
The proposed high school would be adjacent to the middle school site, behind Ostrich Nursery, fronting on Robbinsville-Edinburg Road.

