FREEHOLD – The Freehold Borough K-8 School District Board of Education has authorized an increase of $266,467 in a contract for work on a construction project that will address the issue of student overcrowding in the district.
Board members recently approved a change order in a contract with Newport Construction for additions and alterations at the Freehold Learning Center elementary school, Dutch Lane Road. The change order will increase the initial $8.4 million contract to $8.7 million, according to the board.
A resolution passed by the board states that the change order is for the material and labor costs associated with replacing unforeseen and unsuitable soil with stone at the proposed site of the additions at the Freehold Learning Center.
According to the resolution, samples taken at the proposed site revealed soil in certain areas with saturation content unsuitable for the placement of a building pad and foundation.
When the issue was revealed to and assessed by district administrators in December, the construction manager, contractor, architect, structural engineer and geotechnical engineer determined it was necessary for a soil observer from geotechnical engineer’s firm to oversee the removal and replacement of saturated soil with stone, according to the resolution.
The board is undertaking a $33 million construction project to expand the district’s three schools: the Freehold Learning Center; the Park Avenue Elementary School; and the Freehold Intermediate School, Park Avenue.
From 2007-17, enrollment increased from 1,363 pupils to 1,700 pupils. The construction project will increase classroom space to 1,589 students, which will still leave the schools with an over-capacity of children, but will put less of a strain on classrooms, according to district administrators.