City Demonstration Projects Ready for Final Approval SCC OKs Major Community School Construction Plans To Revitalize Areas of Vineland, Trenton, East Orange and Union City

Trenton, NJ (June 14, 2004) - School-based community development initiatives – which leverage state school construction funding to secure private investments and spur urban redevelopment with new housing and retail opportunities – moved a step closer to reality today for the municipalities of Vineland, Trenton, East Orange and Union City.

The Board of Directors of New Jersey Schools Construction Corporation (SCC) gave their final OK for four “demonstration projects” to move forward. The plans now go to Treasurer John McCormac for his approval. Last fall, the treasurer granted six projects preliminary approval. Two additional demonstration projects in Camden and New Brunswick will be presented to the SCC Board for approval at its June 23rd meeting.

"Today, we are making great progress in our efforts to build 21st Century schools for 21st Century leaders," said Governor James E. McGreevey. "With the right vision, a school can be more than just a place to prepare children for the future, it can be the tool for the rebirth of a community. With these demonstration projects, we’re not just building new schools, we’re building new communities – we're building opportunity."

The demonstration projects are a critical part of the Governor’s efforts to build a better New Jersey through improved education and revitalized communities. These initiatives are designed to revitalize neighborhoods through education and partnerships within local communities statewide as part of an $8.6 billion school building program overseen by the SCC – 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.

“Under the Governor’s leadership, the demonstration projects will provide high-performance schools that promote learning and achievement, while at the same time serving as a catalyst for a resurgence of growth and economic revitalization within the urban communities,” stated John F. Spencer, Chief Executive Officer of the SCC.

“These projects exemplify Governor McGreevey’s commitment to build and strengthen New Jersey’s economy by investing in children, education and communities,” Treasurer McCormac said when he granted the preliminary approvals. “The facilities will serve as central activity locations where neighborhoods can come together and children can learn in high quality, modern educational environments.”

Through the school-based community development initiative, the school serves as a community anchor. State and city agencies work cooperatively to provide children with safe, modern classrooms while maximizing urban renewal efforts. Community design features – such as athletic venues, auditoriums, media centers accessible to students and residents alike – are key components of the program. The demonstration projects also serve as a catalyst for private investment to revitalize urban communities with new housing and retail opportunities.

SCC funds school construction components of the demonstration projects. The project team members are put together by the city, and all projects are subject to intense public input and planning by the school district, community and municipal representatives. A city-named redevelopment authority manages the demonstration project and enters into an agreement with a redeveloper – typically from the private sector – that is responsible for completing the project. Any contractors hired for the construction project are selected on a competitive basis. Throughout the process, SCC reviews all costs before any work is authorized and monitors the project to its completion.

The City of Vineland, the Mercer County Improvement Authority (MCIA), on behalf of the City of Trenton, the City of East Orange and the Union City Redevelopment Agency (UCRA) will serve as the redevelopment entities by their respective municipal governing bodies to manage the demonstration projects in their cities.

As it approaches its second anniversary, SCC has hundreds of school construction projects under way and is making tremendous progress in fulfilling the visionary goal of Governor McGreevey, who initiated SCC in July 2002 to streamline the building of much-needed quality schools statewide.

The demonstration projects approved today by the SCC include:

Vineland: The proposed $62 million demonstration project will include a new pre-Kindergarten through 5th grade school for 820 students on a 9.7-acre campus in the heart of Vineland. The project will include myriad community design features – athletic venues, health care and advanced learning areas for students during regular school hours and for members of the community after school – as the result of an intensive, yearlong planning process involving more than 40 local community groups. The school will be a cluster of smaller buildings that will accommodate students according to grade level. The project is scheduled for completion by summer 2006.

Trenton: The proposed $28 million demonstration project calls for a new 1,400-student vocational high school – the “Daylight/Twilight Alternative High School” – at East Hanover and Montgomery streets. The school will encompass 78,800 square feet of space, including 32,400 square feet of new construction linked to 46,400 square feet of renovated space in two vacant 5-story buildings. The project is intended to be a catalyst for revitalizing the downtown Canal Banks redevelopment area known as the “Old Trenton Neighborhood.” Tailored to adult students, the “Daylight/Twilight Alternative High School” will be part of an urban college-type campus with such community-based learning institutions as the Public Library, Mercer County Community College and YMCA around a central urban open space. The project is scheduled for completion by summer 2006.

Union City: The demonstration project in Union City is estimated to cost approximately $133 million. It calls for construction of a new high school and parking facility, totaling some 430,000 square feet, to accommodate 1,500 students. The project calls for the demolition of antiquated Roosevelt Stadium. The new school facility to be built on the Roosevelt Stadium site will include a gym, auditorium and cafeteria; a new stadium will be built on the roof of this building to accommodate a regulation size football and baseball field. The project is scheduled for completion by summer 2007.

East Orange: The $120 million demonstration project in Main Street redevelopment area proposes a 1,300-student pre-K through 12th grade performing arts magnet community school combining East Orange’s acclaimed Washington Academy of Music and Cicely Tyson School of Performing and Fine Arts. The building area totals 309,000 square feet. Plans entail razing former East Orange High, built in 1911, to create an 11-acre campus with separate buildings for pre-K and K, grades 1st-through-4th, 5th-through-8th and 9th through 12th. The project is scheduled for completion by spring 2007.

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