By carolyn o’connell
Staff Writer
The real work on the new A.A. Anastasia School in Long Branch is now under way.
Contractors have begun the site work for the new school on 71/2 acres on Seventh Avenue. This new school will replace the A.A. Anastasia School on Morris Avenue.
Contractors Fitzpatrick & Associates Inc., Eatontown, who won the contract with a $16 million bid, will be constructing a 94,000-square-foot, three-story school that can accommodate up to 550 students.
The school is intended to serve the needs of city children age 4 through fifth grade. It also is designed to meet community needs for recreation and ongoing education programs.
"This is the beginning of the dream of the Abbot Districts to have quality facilities for children without having a major financial impact on the community," said Joseph M. Ferraina, superintendent of schools.
"The facilities in Long Branch in the next five years will be at a standard to be conducive to learning. Combined with the commitment of the staff for higher education, it will result in more productive citizens to benefit society," he said.
The entire project cost will total $21 million and is being funded in its entirety with state money.
The state is paying for construction of schools in 21 districts. The funding comes as a result of an agreement reached as part of the settlement in the Abbott v. Burke lawsuit. In the lawsuit, it was found that the state was not fulfilling its state constitutional obligation to provide a "thorough and efficient education" in those school districts.
The unique design of the building will provide two separate areas for recreation and eating, noted Thomas Miserendino, facilities managers for the Long Branch school district. He said that it will also serve the community by providing a health center at one end and recreational facilities at the other designed not to interfere with the school day.
The recreational area will offer an office substation, providing telephones and restroom facilities, so that staff will not have to walk the entire length of the school in order to access office amenities.
The health center also will be secured and isolated from the rest of the school. It will have a separate entrance to limit any interference with the school day and as a means of maximizing the security of the students.
The building has been designed by architects from Tomaino, Tomaino, Iamello and Associates, Deal, to fit into the surrounding residential community. Rather than a traditional institutional appearance, the exterior of the building will be a combination of block and brick textures with gables. The landscaping also is designed to help the school fit into the neighborhood.
The design will feature a 9,000-square-foot gymnasium and a 5,000-square-foot "cafeterium," a cafeteria and auditorium in one with a high-technology sound system and projector screens.
The first-floor classrooms are specifically designed to accommodate kindergarten and pre-kindergarten students. There are sinks, water fountains and bathrooms in each room.
The new classrooms will be larger than those in the existing schools and can be partitioned to create up to three smaller rooms for smaller classes or special instruction.
The second floor will primarily be used by first- through third-grade classes. There will be some room on the floor for fourth-grade classes The third floor is designed for use by the fourth- and fifth-graders.
This school is expected to be open to students from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and, because it is anticipated to be in use year-round, it will have air conditioning.
George L. Catrambone, assistant superintendent of schools, noted that the building will be used to expand educational and community services offered by the district, and "the community will have access to the building after school hours."
As for the existing school on Morris Avenue, Catrambone said, it is to early to tell what will become of the building or the property. "For now we will use the Anastasia school (Morris Avenue) as a swing school while the other schools undergo construction upgrades and new schools are built," he said.
He added, "most districts don’t have the opportunity to put kids in classrooms [during construction projects]. They are usually relocated to trailers while construction is in progress."
The project is expected to be completed in March 2004 and, while work has already begun on the site, a ground-breaking ceremony is scheduled for Jan. 14 at 9 a.m.
"It’s an exciting time. What we have scheduled are a chain of events which will quickly become a reality in 2003," said Ferraina.
The chain of events, noted Ferraina, is to break ground on the new middle school by June 2003, the new high school in July as well as the new pool facility off Broadway.
In 2004, the district plans to break ground on the Monmouth Avenue school which will replace the Gregory School on Seventh and Joline avenues. Plans are to duplicate the new Anastasia School and save over 25 percent in architectural fees.
The goal, said Ferraina, is to have all the facilities completed by the year 2006.