Princeton BOE awards contracts for upgrades to elementary schools and Princeton High School
Three of the four elementary schools in the Princeton Public School District will get exterior – siding, fascia, gutters and skylights – replacements.
The Princeton Public Schools Board of Education awarded a contract for $1.5 million to Long Branch-based Shorelands Construction Inc. at its April 25 meeting. Shorelands Construction was one of two bidders for the job. The second contractor bid a higher price of $2.1 million for the job.
Siding will be repaired at the Littlebrook and Riverside elementary schools. At the Johnson Park School, the work includes repairs to the fascia and gutters. New skylights will be installed, also.
The school board also awarded a contract for $188,500 at its March 28 meeting to Northeast Roof Maintenance for repairs and replacement to the slate roof at Princeton High School. Replacement slates will cost $50 each.
Northeast Roof Maintenance, which is based in Perth Amboy, was one of two bidders for the job. The second bidder submitted a bid of $343,454 for the job, plus $355 for each replacement slate shingle.
Princeton voters approved a $17.5 million bond referendum in January 2022. It was billed as a maintenance referendum to repair leaky roofs and outdated HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) units at all of the district’s schools.
Some of the roofs at the schools were replaced in 1995 and some were replaced in 2004. The new roofs will be solar-ready, school district officials said.
The State of New Jersey is picking up 34% of the tab in new debt service, officials said. The state will reimburse the school district for 34% of the principle and interest payments that it incurs.