Old Bridge Township Schools Undergo $20 Million In Upgrades

OLD BRIDGE, NJ - The Old Bridge Township Public School district is undergoing a series of renovations - totaling more than $20 million - including a $16.2 million Energy Savings Improvement Plan also known as an ESIP.

The work includes $1.8 million district-wide technology upgrades and a $1.2 million electrical/emergency generator project at Carl Sandburg Middle School, according to a prepared release from the district.

The ESIP project began in September 2015 with the development of a plan and continued until February 2017 when the plan was completed.

The project includes upgrading all schools with LED energy efficient lights; installing new boilers at six buildings; implementing an energy management system; installing a computer-powered management system; replacing roofs at eight buildings and installing 15 buildings with high energy transformers.

All these projects are either completed, on-going, or will be completed by Summer 2018.

According to School Business Administrator Joseph Marra, the money the district will save in electrical usage over the next 15 years will be used to pay for the project.

Solar panels are being installed at Old Bridge High School, the Ellen McDermott Grade Nine Center, Jonas Salk Middle School, and Cooper, Memorial and Voorhees elementary schools.

“All the energy generated by solar panels should reduce the cost of energy to the district by 35 percent,” Marra said.

The emergency generator installed at Sandburg, located off Route 516 near Route 9 North, was funded in part by a $600,000 grant Old Bridge received from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The site will be used in case of a state of emergency.

“To install the generator, all power to Sandburg had to be disconnected for most of the summer," Marra said. "This afforded the district the opportunity to upgrade all electrical systems at the middle school at an additional cost of $600,000.” Power was turned back on before the children returned in September.

Other projects underway in the district include $800,000 in security upgrades throughout the district and $100,000 in playground upgrades.

Work at Old Bridge Public Schools includes playground upgrades. Image via Shutterstock.