Paving lot among last pieces of schools construction puzzle

By: Dick Brinster
   HIGHTSTOWN — About all that remains to be finished of the East Windsor schools construction program is the paving of the parking lot at the new Ethel McKnight Elementary School, which will be among the buildings featured Saturday in the district’s open house, according to Superintendent Ron Bolandi.
   Administrators of the six schools will be available from 9 a.m. to noon to answer questions about completion of the buildings.
   The Board of Education approved a $64.4 million building referendum in 2002, and Mr. Bolandi said completion of construction means more of an emphasis can be placed on continuing the district’s academic improvements.
   "Now, we can really get going," he said Tuesday.
   Forty percent of the district’s students failed state aptitude tests before he arrived in 2004, and two years later the number was down to 10 percent. But construction problems proved a major headache, he said.
   "I walked in here thinking I’m going to spend all my time on education, and I had to take over a disastrous construction project," Mr. Bolandi said. "It occupied an inordinate amount of my time for two years."
   A new, $8 million McKnight school opened on schedule last month after 11th-hour efforts by Mr. Bolandi to overcome what he said would be a one-year delay attributable to work not completed by a fired general contractor. There also were construction problems with two other schools—Melvin H. Kreps Middle School and Perry L. Drew Elementary School — that led to consideration of a lawsuit and the delayed opening of the latter in 2005.
   Mr. Bolandi said at Monday night’s school board meeting that paving of the McKnight parking lot is expected to be completed as early as next week. The new building replaced a maligned geodesic-domed structure built in 1970.
   "I’m hoping to close all the projects by December," he said, alluding to minor finishing touches.
   Visitors Saturday might see a few things that need to be finalized.
   "It’s nothing safety-related," Mr. Bolandi said. "It’s just workmanship stuff, like doors that weren’t hung just right, cracked bathroom tiles or paint that might not match."
   The open house is scheduled at the three schools in the borough, Hightstown High School, 25 Leshin Lane; Walter C. Black School, 371 Stockton St., and Grace N. Rogers School, 380 Stockton St.. The East Windsor facilities are the Drew school, 70 Twin Rivers Drive; McKnight school, 58 Twin Rivers Drive South, and Kreps school, 5 Kent Lane.