District-Wide Renovations Underway At Bridgewater-Raritan Schools

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — It's been a busy summer for Bridgewater-Raritan as district-wide renovations are currently underway.

"If you just drive around town you can see a lot of activity," said Superintendent Robert Beers.

Peter Starrs, the Business Administrator/Board Secretary for the school district, provided an overview of work being done at district schools ahead of the 2023-24 school year.

"This is a very busy summer for the facilities department and contractors are doing a ton of work along with our custodial staff," said Starrs at the July 18 Board of Education meeting.

Projects included renovating a room in the 200 wing of the High School which will be home to the robotics team.

The team was temporarily using space in the Wade Administration Building after Superstorm Ida flooded out their facility in 2021. Read More: BRHS Robotics Team Suffered During Ida, Needs Community Help

"The robotics team had a workshop over in Bound Brook and they were completely wiped out," said Beers of the flooding. "Their equipment and everything was lost. We cleared out space in the Wade building until they could find a permanent home."

The team should be moving in this month and will serve as "a space they can call their own," said Beers.

Other projects included replacing over two-decade-old cabinetry and countertops in two food service rooms in the 200 building at the high school.

New paint jobs were performed at the Eisenhower Intermediate School and the John F. Kennedy Primary School hallways as well as the exterior of the Bridgewater-Raritan High School.

Renovations of the libraries at five primary schools. Bradley Gardens Primary School not only experienced a renovation but an entire redesign to create a separate hallway to pass through.

The district also purchased close to $500,000 in furniture including student desks and chairs. In total, there were close to 800 pieces of furniture at the high school, middle school and Hillside Intermediate School, according to Starrs.

The Bridgewater-Raritan High School's loop road and Crim Primary School's parking area were both improved for drainage and repaved.

Starrs said he will provide a more detailed update and hopefully a finished product at the Aug. 22 meeting.

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