Barnegat BOE Receives Updates on School Improvement Projects

Barnegat schools will soon have solar panels, upgraded security access systems and more energy efficient buildings as a result of projects which are underway throughout the district.

Contractors for the projects, appearing at Tuesday night's Board of Education meeting at , made presentations regarding the status of the work being done.

Guy Vander and Mike Henrich of Johnson Control spoke about the Energy Savings Improvement Program (ESIP). A law passed in 2009 allows for districts to take on these ESIP programs as long as the savings offset the cost of the project.

"The district will have guaranteed savings that will offset the cost of the project, and no tax money will be used for it to happen...it has to pay for itself within 15 years," said Vander. "And it's a very strict verification process...it can't be smoke and mirrors, this is real savings that occur."

The goals of the project include lighting upgrades inside and outside of all schools in the district, boiler replacements, water heater replacements, HVAC redesign and window replacements. The project also worked to eliminate all mold and to prevent mold forming, following a .

Although all of the work for the ESIP program will not be completed before the school year begins, additional work will be completed after school hours.

"It shouldn't be disruptive to school at all," said Henrich.

Projects to replace the roof at Cecil Collins and to install solar panels throughout the district were addressed at the meeting as well with a presentation by architect Sean Hyland.

The roofing project, he said, should be finished by mid-September and the solar panels, which have been approved by the town and JCPL, should be finished by the end of the year.

Vince Milano of Integrated Systems and Services discussed the upgraded security access technology that will be installed throughout the district, replacing what he called poorly installed access systems that the schools were previously using.

"Overall the system is going to give you a great administrative and security tool as far as keeping the children safe," he said.

The access systems, according to Milano, should be operational around the beginning of October.