LBI School District School Consolidation Back On The Drawing Board

An engineer hired by the Long Beach Island Consolidated School District reported at Tuesday night’s board meeting there was an estimated $2.7M in repairs needed at the Long Beach Island Grade School in Ship Bottom and nearly $900,000 for upgrades at the Ethel Jacobsen School in Surf City.

Frank Little, of Owen, Little & Associates, said of primary concern was the condition of the concrete floor joists at the LBI School.

“About 50% of the joists have deteriorated and should be repaired or replaced soon,” Little said.

An inspection done shortly after Superstorm Sandy in 2012 by LAN Associates had said there was “no evidence of any new cracking, settlement, stress, or any indication of a shifting or settling of the building, or any other structurally-deficient conditions” at the school.

When asked about this, Little said he understood the LAN inspectors did not go under the building, but looked from points outside. His personnel crawled underneath the entire structure and photographed what they found.
He recommended that the joists be “shored up” temporarily over the summer prior to the next school year at a cost of approximately $75,000.

The total cost of replacing the concrete and I-beams, which would have to be done in two years would be over $1 million, he said.

Coupled with repairs to the roof, electrical, mechanical, plumbing and fire prevention systems, plus an additional $350,000 for repairs to the bus garage on the school property, Little’s report estimated a total of just over $3 million to bring the entire site up to current standards.

Prior to his report, Board President Jennifer Bott went over a timeline of events from 2010 to the present about plans to sell the LBI School and build at the Ethel Jacobsen School site in Surf City.

The plan originated after the 2010-11 school budget was defeated and additional cuts in state aid led to a revised budget of $900,000 less than the original, she said.

“In 2011, the board unanimously voted to sell the grade school,” she said. The funds would then be used to build a new school on the lot adjacent to the Jacobsen School, she said.

The LBI School property that encompasses the whole block between 19th and 20th streets at Central Avenue in Ship Bottom went out to bid for a minimum of $9.5 million and was later reduced in May of 2012.

A bid of $7.6 million rejected shortly before Superstorm Sandy caused the board to temporarily halt the bidding process.

“But the school property never came off the market, said Bott. “As of January 2015, we are in receipt of the highest bids to date for the LBI School,” Bott said.

Little’s cost estimates and the bid announcement led to a flurry of questions in the public session concerning whether or not the board had already decided to sell the school and build in Surf City.

“No decision has been made on what to do next,“ board member Steve Evert said, in response to questions raised by Ship Bottom resident Rick McDonough.

He, Bott and other members responded similarly as other members posed variations of the same questions.
Bott said the main goal no matter what decisions are made is what is best for the children.

Board Attorney Anthony Sciarrillo said they were not at liberty to discuss any of many plans in detail because it could jeopardize current or future negotiations. “We are trying to put a series of puzzles together all at once,” he said. The board needs time to see which one is the best fit, he added.

Sciarrillo told another resident that the concern about Surf City being able to buy back the land they donated where the Jacobsen School is located is not an issue.

“The district owns the land,” he said.

There is a restriction in the deed that says Surf City would have the first right to buy back the land only if it was decided not to use it for school business, he added.

Little told McDonough the sewer pipe running under the potential building site could be rerouted at a cost of around $100,000.

In response to another question from McDonough, Bott said that all their planning is geared towards matching options of any new project to the revenue generated by the sale of the LBI School. Any surplus would revert back to the taxpayers, she said.

Bott then announced that Little would return next week to the board’s regularly scheduled meeting at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, April 21 at the Ethel Jacobsen School, 200 S. Barnegat Ave, Surf City to answer any more questions.

Superintendent Karen McKeon said Little’s entire report will take some time to get on the Web site as it is over 500 pages. There will be copies at the board office if anyone would like to look at it. Each of the island’s five mayors have been provided a copy.