FREEHOLD – The Freehold Borough K-8 School District Board of Education has awarded a contract for work on a construction project that will address the issue of student overcrowding in the district.
A $33 million construction project was authorized by the New Jersey Commissioner of Education in 2016 and will expand the district’s three schools: the Freehold Learning Center elementary school, Dutch Lane Road, (pre-K through 5); the Park Avenue Elementary School, Park Avenue, (pre-K through 5); and the Freehold Intermediate School, Park Avenue, (6-8).
On Sept. 11, the board awarded a contract to G&P Parlamas Inc., Neptune City, for additions and alterations to the Park Avenue Elementary School and the Freehold Intermediate School, which share the same building at the Park Avenue complex.
The awarding of a contract for upgrades at the Freehold Learning Center is expected to occur in the near future, according to district administrators.
For the portion of the project at the Park Avenue complex, G&P Parlamas had a base bid of $17,817,000, an alternate bid of $40,000 for an ethylene propylene diene terpolymer (EPDM) membrane roof and an alternate bid of $15,000 for an asphalt fiberglass shingles roof. The board elected to award the the base bid and not the alternate options.
According to the school district, had the board awarded the alternate bids, the EPDM membrane roof would have been in lieu of a preformed metal roof at the building’s gym and cafeteria, and the asphalt fiberglass shingles roof would have been in lieu of a metal roof at the building’s main entrance.
The contractor was awarded the bid on the recommendation of William Hopkins, the board’s architect, who found G&P Parlamas to be the lowest responsible bidder.
Other bids were received from Hall Building ($20,585,000); Dobco Inc. ($20,400,000); Niriam Inc. ($19,872,000); Newport Construction ($19,387,000); M&M Construction ($19,380,000); Patock Construction ($19,077,700); Brockwell & Carrington ($18,840,000); and GPC Inc. ($18,500,000), according to district administrators.
From 2007 to 2017, the district’s enrollment increased from 1,363 pupils to 1,700 pupils and led to a situation in which some Freehold Borough pupils are being educated by Freehold Borough teachers in nine classrooms that are rented in the neighboring Freehold Township K-8 School District.
The construction project will increase classroom space to 1,589 students, which still leaves the schools with an over-capacity, but puts less of a strain on classrooms, according to district administrators.
