BEACHWOOD – Toms River Intermediate South will see some roof repairs done this summer amid concerns about the district’s finances.
Tim Sullivan of Becht Engineering, the lead project manager with the company doing the work, gave a brief overview of the project during a recent Board of Education meeting. It involves replacing the roof and the structures supporting the roof. Flashing and sealants will be used to keep the elements out. A water repellant liquid will be applied to the masonry after it is cleaned. The drainage system carrying water off the roof and away from the building will also be improved. Insulation will be replaced with newer material that meets current requirements.
The board awarded the project to Pravco, Inc. which was the lowest bidder with $5,590,000. This only includes two of the four phases of work that needed to get done. Phase 1 is the main building and courtyard and Phase 2 is the gym and cafetorium. “These are the phases we can afford to award at this time,” Business Administrator William Doering said. The rest will be bid again at a later date.
The six Board of Education members in attendance all voted in favor of awarding this project. They were James Capone, Board President Kathleen Eagan, Jennifer Howe, Kevin Kidney, Joseph Nardini and Anna Polozzo. Ashley Lamb, Melissa Morrison, and Paola Pascarella were absent.
Superintendent Michael Citta said that the $5.5 million the district is spending on this can’t be used to fix the hole in the general budget.
Due to a lack of state funding, the district is looking at a $26.5 deficit for the 2024-2025 school year. A bit of funding has become available, and the state is allowing school districts more flexibility with taxes for the coming year, but even with these two changes the district is still more than $12 million short of being able to provide everything required for students for next year, officials said.
Doering said this project is funded by the capitol reserve, which by law has to be separate from the regular operating budget.
Sometimes school districts get funding for big projects like this from government entities such as the NJ Schools Development Authority. Doering said that they applied for a Regular Operating District grant from that authority but were not successful.
Work is beginning this summer and is expected to be done by the end of summer or early fall.
Meanwhile, the district received $600,000 in grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency which will be put toward buses. There will be eight new propane buses and two electric buses. The $600,000 won’t pay for the total cost of these vehicles, but they will help the overall cost.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, buses that operate on propane release less emissions than diesel and require less expensive maintenance and fuel.
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