Schools to see some
improvement before fall
By josh davidson
Staff Writer

MATAWAN — With the school year complete and classrooms empty, the Matawan-Aberdeen School District will begin work on its $36.8 million referendum.

The project, passed by voters last September, will make improvements to Matawan Avenue Middle School, the district’s four elementary schools and its high school.

E.R. Barrett of Newark will fix the roof at Matawan Regional High School.

Best Roofing, Jersey City, will repair roofing on the four elementary schools, at a cost of $2,042,000.

That work will begin shortly, John Barbato, a Board of Education member said.

A tough winter worsened conditions on already damaged roofs, which made beginning a roof project more urgent, he said.

"That was the biggest thing that had to happen this summer," he said. "This terrible winter we had only added to the urgency in making that one of the first projects."

Roof work is done during the summer for the safety of students, and because it requires good weather, he said.

"You need to have the schools secure, because it’s better to have workers there when there is no school in session," he said.

Landsite Construction Co., Inc., Roselle Park, will replace the bleachers of the main athletic fields of the high school at a cost of $242,000.

The project also was a necessity, Superintendent of Schools Bruce Quinn said.

"The visitors’ side bleachers had been condemned because of unsafe conditions," he said.

The home bleachers are in good condition and will not be replaced, said Joel M. Glastein, assistant superintendent for general administration.

Small bleachers will be added to the baseball and soccer fields, he said.

All the mentioned projects will be finished by September, Quinn said.

Aberdeen and Matawan voters passed two referendum questions.

The first dealt with expanding and upgrading the Matawan Avenue Middle School. Overcrowding at the middle school has forced the district to hold eight classes in four temporary trailers located at the school.

The second question deals with building improvements to the district’s four elementary schools and the high school. That question also gathered funding for new windows, roofs, fire alarm upgrades, electrical and technology improvements, and new security systems for all the district’s schools.