Demolition slated to begin as soon as school closes
By: Greg Forester
MONTGOMERY The demolition contractor selected by Montgomery Township to perform work at the former North Princeton Developmental Center will be at the Montgomery municipal building Thursday to present its "Work Execution Plan" before the Community Advisory Board.
Brandenburg Industrial Services, which received the contract for the demolition of the 90 or dilapidated buildings on the former state institution, will be presenting its plan and fielding questions from the public during the meeting, scheduled at 8 p.m.
Brandenburg came in with the lowest bid, at just under $5 million, and was awarded the contract despite some legal challenges from the second-lowest bidder in the process, New Jersey-based Mazzocchi Wrecking Co.
Brandenburg equipment can already been seen on the NPDC site, as the company carries out pre-demolition work, including detailed building inspections and testing.
The planned start date for the project remains June 22, the same day that summer vacation begins for staff and students at Village Elementary School who will then be safely away from the school building, located in the center of the 250-acre site.
The township elected to undertake the demolition portion of the project during the summer vacation at the behest of parents and other residents who expressed a desire for the work to done with no children at the site.
Despite some recent citations from the federal Occupation Safety and Health Administration, the company does maintain some of the best safety ratings in the field, according to Montgomery Township documents.
Brandenburg had some of the lowest OSHA incident rates of any of the bidders for the contract, despite the company being one of the largest in the nation.
The company also maintained Experience Modification Rates around the .50 to .60 range for the last three years, which generally signifies a very safe company, according to OSHA officials.
Montgomery Township Engineer Gail Smith said in a township memo that despite some incidents suffered at Brandenburg work sites, she remains confident "that Brandenburg is well qualified and has the requisite experience to successfully complete the Skillman Village Building Demolition Project."