Repaving project at LRHS is given an A+

Photo by Holly Stewart

The parking lot at Lakeland Regional High School in Wanaque received an $880,000 makeover this summer. The project was completed well before classes were scheduled to begin on Sept. 3.

Drivers visiting Lakeland Regional High School as classes begin again today are likely to glide through the front entrance uneventfully thanks to the extensive rehabilitation of the parking lot this summer.

Completion of the $880,000 project was announced by Business Administrator Kathryn Davenport at the Board of Education (BOE) meeting on Aug. 26. The striping of the surface took place during the weekend on Aug. 25 and 26, which left only one or two punch-list items to be considered. Davenport said that people would now be able to walk across the lot without fear of tripping over or falling into uneven surfaces of the asphalt.

"Its really in good shape now," she said. "The contractors did a phenomenal job."

Interim Superintendent Robert Mooney said that it had been suggested to the administration that they add "5 MPH" to the pavement in white paint near the driveway entrance from Conklintown Road. Otherwise, he felt that the project had been a complete success.

As summer jobs go," Mooney said, "it seems to be an A-plus."

The regrading and paving of the west lot, the school entrance, and an area adjacent to the athletic field near the concession stand represents the final portion of the second phase of the paving project. Phase one, which was finished in the summer of 2013, consisted primarily of renovations to the east parking lot off Chestnut Street.

When an architect first drew up plans for the two-phase paving project more than two years ago, the second phase was estimated to cost $560,000. After the lowest qualifying bid for construction of the second phase came in $320,000 higher, the BOE decided to take the additional funds required from capital reserves in order to complete the project.

Two reasons for the sharp spike in the cost were discussed during the boards June 3 meeting when the job was awarded to J.A. Alexander of Bloomfield. One was that the architectural plans and pricing had been drawn up more than two years ago; the other was that since then, the condition of the parking lot west of the school had steadily deteriorated due to age and two harsh winters.

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Repaving project at LRHS is given an A+