Ongoing construction in Fort Lee schools to delay opening again in September

Ongoing construction projects throughout the district will push the first day of school this year to Sept. 10 and eliminate a February break for a second consecutive year, school officials announced March 11.

The 2013-2014 tentative calendar, though slightly shortened, will mirror that of the current school year to allow for a summer of repairs and renovations in School No. 1, No. 3, No. 4, Lewis F. Cole Middle School and Fort Lee High School.

School No. 1 is scheduled for a round of window replacements, as is School No. 3 and the high school, though the latter still needs an affordable contractor to go forward. School No. 3 will also see additional repair work on its roof, which partially tore open during Hurricane Sandy.

The high school is in for a number of renovations to its auditorium and gymnasium as well as the start of a two-phase effort to bring in eight state-of-the-art science labs. Half the labs should be available for student use by the beginning of the school year, said Business Administrator Cheryl Balletto.

Crews working on School No. 4 will outfit the building with a new roof and lay the electrical foundation for a major overhaul of its heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system next year. Phase one of the project, to be completed this summer, will install air conditioning in the schools all-purpose room.

Limited classroom space and rising enrollment numbers are driving the construction work at the middle school, which in two years time, will take on the shape of an "O" rather than a "U."

The district plans to fill in the buildings front parking lot with a brand new addition that will hold the schools main offices, a new media center, several new classrooms, a nurses office and a faculty lounge. Parts of the old building will be converted into even more classrooms as a result of the freed up space.

The projects are part of a $30 million effort approved by referendum last year to rehabilitate the districts ailing infrastructure.

Last summer, crews completed masonry repairs at Schools No. 3 and 4, replaced boilers at the middle school, mended pillars at the high school and converted the districts former central offices into a brand new wing for kindergarteners and special education students at School No. 1.

Repairs next summer will include the conclusion of HVAC work on School No. 4, the construction of four more science labs for the high school and the completion of the middle schools new addition, said Balletto.

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Ongoing construction in Fort Lee schools to delay opening again in September