Newark, NJ (November 30, 2007) -
Newark School District and New Jersey Schools Development Authority (SDA) officials held a groundbreaking today to mark the start of construction of the new Park Elementary School, which will provide 21st century educational opportunities for up to 690 students in pre-kindergarten through 8th grades.
Students, parents, residents and community leaders attended the event, the second groundbreaking for an elementary school in Newark this month. The district and SDA also have opened a high school and an elementary school in the past 12 months.
The 118,638-square-foot, three-story Park School will include general classrooms, a cafeteria with a kitchen, an auditorium, gym, music rooms, support areas, playgrounds and two parking lots. The school at Verona Avenue and Manchester Place is located in the community it will serve and is adjacent to Branch Brook Park. The school will provide much-needed early childhood educational programs for 3- and 4-year-old children and help to ease serious overcrowding at the district’s Abington Avenue School and Ridge Street School. The project is slated for completion in September 2009.
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Scott Weiner, SDA CEO, stated, "On behalf of the SDA, I would like to express our appreciation for the opportunity to work with the school district in contributing to the quality of Newark’s school facilities. The district has seen a number of major construction milestones recently. This progress illustrates what the SDA can accomplish to benefit our students and communities in collaboration with the districts we serve."
Besides Park School, other milestones have included the November 20 groundbreaking for Speedway School and the openings of Science Park High School and First Avenue School. In addition, a new Central High School is under construction.
Schools Superintendent Marion Bolden said, “We are very excited about the new school, which is needed in this community and will provide a better learning environment.”
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Fletcher Thompson Inc. is the design firm for the new school. Terminal Construction Corporation is the general contractor. PB+3D/I is managing the project for the SDA.
The SDA currently has 23 projects under construction. Overall, the SDA has completed 41 schools and 28 major renovations and additions, along with nearly 400 health, safety and other projects in Abbott districts. The program also has distributed $2.2 billion in grants, impacting more than 1,400 suburban schools statewide.
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