|
From left to right: President of the Wheaton Village Board of
Trustees Henry LeVari; Assemblyman Nicholas Asselta; EDA Executive
Director Caren Franzini; Wheaton Village President Barry Taylor;
President of the South Jersey Chamber of Commerce and member of
the Wheaton Village Board of Trustees Debra DiLorenzo, and Millville
Superintendent Larry Miller.
|
Wheaton
Village Building to House Millville Early Childhood Education Center
Millville, NJ
(December 20, 2001) – State and local officials announced today
that an agreement has been finalized allowing the New Jersey Economic
Development Authority to acquire a vacant Wheaton Village building on
behalf of the Millville school district to house the district's Early
Childhood Education Center for pre-schoolers.
EDA Executive Director
Caren Franzini and Assemblyman Nicholas Asselta joined Millville Superintendent
G. Larry Miller and Wheaton Village President Barry Taylor at the site
of the new early education center, located at 1100 Coombs Road, to announce
the agreement reached by the EDA, the school district and Wheaton Village.
"Today, everyone
wins," said Franzini. "This agreement is an excellent example of how
the state's landmark school construction program can serve as a catalyst
to community development while providing our children with a high quality
learning environment. The sale of this vacant building will serve as
a tremendous boost to Wheaton Village, while providing the school district
with the space it needs to provide early childhood education for hundreds
of Millville's 3 and 4-year olds."
Under the Educational
Facilities and Construction Act, the EDA is responsible for the construction
and financing for school construction in the state's 30 special needs
Abbott districts, following approval by the Department of Education.
Under the agreement
finalized on December 18, the EDA will purchase the site on behalf of
the school district for $2,812,000. The facility is a 63,210 square
foot vacant office building on approximately 11 acres of land, and will
house the 450 students now attending classes in the 16 temporary classroom
units currently in operation at the Holly Heights School.
Today's announcement
follows months of discussions among the EDA, the school district and
Wheaton Village, along with the completion of environmental assessments
and feasibility studies conducted by the EDA.
"The acquisition
of this property will translate into Millville's ability to provide
3 and 4-year-olds with a great start to their formal education," said
Dr. G. Larry Miller, Superintendent of Millville. "We appreciate the
involvement of the EDA and Assemblyman Nicholas Asselta in making this
project a reality."
Barry Taylor, President
of Wheaton Village added that "it's a great day for the students and
parents here in Millville, for the State of New Jersey as we move forward
with important educational facilities, and for Wheaton Village, as the
sale of this building will provide important economic stabilization
for southern New Jersey's largest museum. We will be delighted to have
the Early Childhood Center as a new neighbor, and hope to be providing
educational opportunities to the youngsters here in the museum in the
future."
The EDA has also
recommended the approval of three construction contract awards for health
and safety work at Bacon Elementary School, Mount Pleasant Elementary
School and Lakeside Middle School.
To date, the EDA
has awarded 34 contracts to architectural/engineering firms for the
design of over $73.2 million in health and safety work at 102 schools,
and has awarded 17 construction project contracts for nearly $28.3 million
in health and safety work in 54 school buildings around the state.
EDA has also approved
the assignment of 36 architects' contracts for the design of 17 new
schools and 19 school additions for an estimated construction cost of
over $541.2 million.
Also attending the
event were Henry LeVari, president of the Wheaton Board of Trustees;
Debra DiLorenzo, South Jersey Chamber of Commerce
and member of Wheaton Village Board of Trustees; Bryce Kell, Millville
School Board Secretary and Business Administrator; Gary Stanker, Millville
Director of Facilities Planning; Joann Burns, Millville Early Childhood
Supervisor; John Breslin, Millville Board of Education President; Rodger
Setzer, Millville Board of Education Vice-President, and school board
members Warren Elliott and Michael Whilden.
For more information
about school construction, or EDA's economic development programs, visit
www.njedaschools.com or www.njeda.com respectively.
Top of Page
