Unionized Workers Will Be Hired On 3 Big Projects In Essex County

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. announced that the county has reached three project labor agreements with local construction trades unions on Wednesday.

According to a county news release, the agreements ensure that union workers will be hired to work on the modernization and expansion of the Essex County Newark Tech school building in Newark, the construction of the new Public Works and Sheriff’s Building in Cedar Grove and the renovation of the second and fourth floors in the Hall of Records in Newark.

The three projects represent over $60 million of construction work, officials said.

"We are pleased to partner with our local building trades unions to provide the trained and professional workforce for our construction projects," DiVincenzo said. "These projects are an opportunity to create jobs and provide modern facilities that will meet the needs of Essex County for generations to come."

Other local elected officials agreed.

“This is important for organized labor because we want to see skilled men and women working on our jobs,” Essex County Commissioner Board President Wayne Richardson said.

“Organized labor has been important to this country and I am glad to be here and pay tribute to them,” Commissioner Patricia Sebold said.

"Organized labor is responsible for rebuilding America and creates benefits for people," New Jersey and Essex County Democratic Committee Chairman LeRoy Jones said.

County officials provided the following details about each project.

Essex County Newark Tech

The centerpiece of the Newark Tech project is a three-story, 16,500-square-foot addition that will be construction in a parking lot behind the school on Lock Street. The addition will have a modern entry, new media center on the second floor and new cafeteria on the third floor. The larger media center and cafeteria will replace much smaller facilities which made scheduling classes logistically difficult because the rooms could not accommodate large numbers of students. For example, because of the small size of the cafeteria, some students were assigned lunch periods as early as 10 a.m.

The 165,000 square feet of space inside the existing school building will be completely overhauled. Two new physics labs, a new suite for the school nurse, a second TEAL (Technology Enhanced Active Learning) Center and general classrooms will be created. The existing cafeteria kitchen and serving area, faculty lounge, cabinetry lab and office spaces will be converted to support the TEAL Center. The renovation also includes the refurbishment of an existing wheelchair lift and freight elevator and the modernization of restrooms for students and staff. The entire building will receive a state-of-the-art HVAC system, fire alarm system, upgraded electrical system and audio-visual and IT systems.

DiCara Rubino Architects from Wayne was awarded a $2,200,000 contract to design the addition and renovations. Epic Management from Piscataway was awarded a publicly bid contract for $28,509,000 to perform the construction. Jingoli and Sons from Lawrence was awarded a $999,069 contract for serve as the construction manager of the project. The school construction project is being funded with a grant from the State of New Jersey.

Public Works and Sheriff’s Building

The Public Works and Sheriff’s Building on Grove Avenue in Cedar Grove will be a 40,000-square-foot building used to park vehicles and store equipment and supplies. It also will house the Public Works Traffic Division and Sign Shop. The parcel is located around the corner from the main Public Works complex on West Bradford Avenue and its close proximity will complement current operations, provide additional storage space and help operations run more efficiently.

Comito and Associates from Newark received a professional services contract to design the facility. DMD Contracting from Wayne was awarded a publicly-bid contract for $11,250,000 to construct the building. The project is being financed through the Essex County Capital Budget and the American Rescue Plan Act. The facility is scheduled be completed in spring 2022.

Essex County Hall of Records

After County Offices were relocated to the new Essex County Martin Luther King, Jr. Justice Building in June, the spaces vacated on the second and fourth floors in the Hall of Records are being modernized. The areas are getting new floors, ceilings, HVAC, electrical and plumbing systems along with the window being repaired and layouts reconfigured. The second floor will become the new Landlord-Tenant Courts and the fourth floor will become part of the Division of Health and Rehabilitation.

Comito and Associates from Newark received a professional services contract for $2,289,000 to design the improvements. GPC, Inc. from Millburn was awarded a publicly bid contract for $5,983,000 to perform the construction work. The project is being funded through Essex County’s Capital Budget. It is scheduled to be completed in the spring of 2022.

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