FREEHOLD – The Freehold Borough K-8 School District Board of Education has awarded an $8.4 million contract to Newport Construction, Pennsauken, for additions and alterations to the Freehold Learning Center elementary school, Dutch Lane Road.
The work at the Freehold Learning Center will be part of a $33 million construction project that was authorized by the New Jersey Commissioner of Education in 2016.
The multimillion dollar project will expand the district’s three schools: the Freehold Learning Center (pre-K through 5); the Park Avenue Elementary School (pre-K through 5) and the Freehold Intermediate School (6-8).
The board awarded the Freehold Learning Center contract to Newport Construction on Oct. 16.
The firm was awarded the contract on the recommendation of William Hopkins, the board’s architect, who determined that Newport Construction was the lowest responsible bidder.
Other bids for the project were received from Niram Inc. ($9.4 million), Kappa Construction ($9.3 million), G&P Parlamas ($9.17 million), Wallace Contracting ($9.1 million), McCauley Construction ($9 million), Bismark Construction ($8.9 million) D’Andrea Construction ($8.8 million) GPC Inc. ($8.7 million), Fuscom Enterprises ($8.65 million) and M&M Construction ($8.5 million).
District administrators said three additions will be made to the Freehold Learning Center, among other work:
- A 10,400-square-foot addition will include four pre-kindergarten classrooms and two kindergarten classrooms, each with a self-contained rest room and storage room, an occupational therapy/physical therapy room and a kindergarten resource room;
- An 8,100-square-foot addition will include five kindergarten classrooms, each with a self-contained rest room and storage room, a kindergarten resource room and an electrical room;
- A 1,350-square-foot addition will include a new kitchen.
The Freehold Borough school district enrolls about 1,700 pupils and has to educate some pupils in rented classrooms in the neighboring Freehold Township K-8 School District.
The construction project will increase classroom space to 1,589 students, which will still leave an overcapacity, but put less of a strain on classrooms, according to district administrators.
The board previously awarded a $17.8 million contract to G&P Parlamas Inc., Neptune City, for work on the Park Avenue Elementary School and the Freehold Intermediate School, which share the same building at the Park Avenue Complex.