A groundbreaking ceremony was held for the new high school building slated to open in September of 2006 off Cedar Lane in Florence.
By: Scott Morgan
FLORENCE Ground was broken Tuesday afternoon on the district’s long-anticipated new high school building off Cedar Lane, and for school officials, the event engendered the best of what the township has to offer.
"This is symbolic of the sense of community in Florence," said Superintendent Louis Talarico. "Even though it’s a ceremonial moment, everybody’s been working hard to get us to move forward."
The groundbreaking sets in motion the actual construction of the school that was green-lighted when voters approved the $43.5 million referendum in December 2003. The 125,000-square-foot high school, situated on 54 acres just off Cedar Lane, is expected to house 600 students when it opens its doors. Opening day is slated for September 2006.
According to architectural plans, the new high school will include: a wide courtyard commons in the center of the school; a media center with large, broad-paned windows for extra light; a computer/tech lab; a large cafeteria; a 580-seat, sloped-roof auditorium; and a gymnasium able to seat 750, nearly 300 more than the current high school gym. A piece of land to the west of the school will be kept open so that, if it is eventually needed, the district can add onto the building to accommodate growth, according to project designer Dante Guzzi.
The remainder of the land will feature two baseball fields, two softball fields, four tennis courts, a football stadium/track, a field hockey field and a special bus parking area.
High hopes for the success of the building abound in the township, Dr. Talarico said, which accounts for the number of people (about three dozen), not just dignitaries in hard hats, at Tuesday’s ceremony.
"It probably wouldn’t be right to just have a bunch of dignitaries there," Dr. Talarico said.
The high school video production class planned to tape the ceremony as the first step in a documentary project designed to record the construction and opening of the school another positive sign that the community is excited about the school, he said.
In any event, Dr. Talarico said, the groundbreaking officially marks the district’s ability to move on from hopes and plans to direct action.
"We’re extremely pleased and relieved that we’ll be able to move forward," he said.

