FREEHOLD – The Freehold Borough K-8 School District Board of Education has authorized five increases totaling $156,355 in a contract for work on a construction project that will address the issue of student overcrowding in the district.
On Aug. 7, board members approved five change orders in a contract with G&P Parlamas for additions and alterations at the Park Avenue Elementary School and the Freehold Intermediate School, which share the same building at the Park Avenue Complex. The change orders are the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth approved by the board.
The initial contract with the firm totaled $17.81 million. The first four change orders increased the contract to $17.98 million.
The fifth change order totals $12,537, the sixth change order totals $13,248, the seventh change order totals $9,497, the eighth change order totals $84,816, and the ninth change order totals $36,257. The overall $156,355 in change orders will increase the contract to $18.13 million, according to the board.
According to the board, the fifth change order is for the replacement of 29 corridor lighting fixtures that are obsolete; the sixth change order is for materials and labor for the removal of saturated soils and its replacement with stone in building pad construction areas; the seventh change order is for materials and labor to construct 10 6-inch diameter steel bollards around a new transformer pad at the direction of the power company; and the ninth change order is for materials and labor for the removal of the existing cafeteria ceiling and insulation and its replacement with new ceiling and insulation materials.
The eighth change order, the largest increase of the five at $84,816, is for materials and labor to construct in-fill panels at new UV exterior louvers in the pane of the existing window systems for 26 classrooms. In-fill panels will also be constructed with metal stud framing, gypsum board on the interior and metal on the exterior with insulation in the stud cavities.
The board is undertaking a $33 million construction project to expand the district’s three schools: the Freehold Learning Center elementary school, Dutch Lane Road; the Park Avenue Elementary School; and the Freehold Intermediate School.
From 2007-17, the district’s 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.
