SCC, Phillipsburg Educators Break Ground
For New Early Childhood Center
State Fully Funding, Managing $18.7 Million Project
Phillipsburg, NJ (June 10, 2004) - Students, teachers and community supporters joined representatives of the Phillipsburg School District and New Jersey Schools Construction Corporation (SCC) in a groundbreaking ceremony today to mark the start of construction of an $18.7 million Early Childhood Center – the first new school here in over 25 years.
The 86,442-square-foot Phillipsburg Early Childhood Center will be constructed on an open, sloped 11-acre site on Center Street. The center will provide
state-of-the-art educational opportunities for about 530 students – 3- and 4-year-olds and Kindergarten. It will include 31 classrooms, six group education classroom. It also will feature a media center, cafetorium, gymnasium, indoor and outdoor play areas, a nurse’s station, and support and administrative areas. The facility, a one-story steel frame with concrete block and brick enclosure, will achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification by incorporating photovoltaic and ice storage systems. Recyclable materials will be used where possible. The school is scheduled to open in the fall of 2005.
As it approaches its second anniversary, the SCC has hundreds of school construction projects under way and is making tremendous progress in fulfilling the visionary goal of Governor James E. McGreevey, who initiated the SCC in July 2002 to streamline the building of much-needed quality schools statewide. The SCC is responsible for implementing New Jersey's $8.6 billion school building program – the largest public construction program ever undertaken by the State of New Jersey, and one of the largest programs of its type ever undertaken in the nation.
Governor McGreevey stated, "The new Phillipsburg Early Childhood Center is another fine example of New Jersey's ongoing commitment to our children. Working together with school districts, we are building 21st century classrooms in districts throughout the state. This focused school construction effort, one of the largest in the nation, is fulfilling our most important obligation to give every child the chance to get the education they deserve and skills necessary to succeed in the 21st century.”
School Superintendent Dr. H. Gordon Pethick remarked, "Early Childhood Education provides the most potential for developing the necessary skills for students to be productive throughout their formal educational experiences. This building signifies an accomplishment that will have a profound effect on the lives of the children who pass through it."
John F. Spencer, CEO of the SCC, said, “The school construction in Phillipsburg is representative of the strides that SCC – in step with district officials and the building trades – is making toward realizing the Governor’s focused goal of providing top-flight facilities for our students statewide.”
Releasing the Butterflies!
Rendering of New Early Childhood Center
If you'd like to read more about the Phillipsburg groundbreaking, check out these articles:
The Morning Call, 6/11/04 (PDF)
The Star-Ledger, 6/11/04 (PDF)
The Express-Times, 6/11/04 (PDF)
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