Kings Road School in Madison gets improved retaining wall

MADISON - When the doors open for the 2013-14 school year on Friday, Sept. 6, students and staff members at the grades K-5 Kings Road School at 215 Kings Road will see a new retaining wall that separates the buildings driveway and rear parking lot from the schools play area.

This was the only major improvement over the summer to the grades K-12 school districts facilities, Superintendent of Schools Michael Rossi noted.

The finishing touch to the project was the installation of new fencing atop the retaining wall, work that began last week by Barcia Brothers Fence Inc. of Garfield and expected for completion this week, well before the schools reopening on Sept. 6.

The deteriorated state of the old retaining wall had been brought up by parents at several Board of Education meetings, and money for the improvement project was earmarked in the districts 2013-14 budget, with the Board of Education appropriating $175,000 from its maintenance reserve. On June 25, the school board approved the bid by Tec Con Contractors of East Orange to improve the retaining wall.

At a school board meeting Tuesday night, board member Shade Grahling remarked she was excited to that wall down, referring to the old retaining wall.

School district Business Administrator Gary Lane, also the secretary to the Board of Education, told the board the retaining wall replacement also will help drainage according to the Borough Engineer, Robert Vogel.

The design of the retaining wall replacement project was adjusted, in consultation with Borough Engineer Vogel, to improve drainage following concerns expressed by the Madison Planning Board in June. On Tuesday night the Board of Education approved an additional $15,000 appropriation to pay Tec Con Contractors for the work connected to the changes in the projects design, a sum recommended to the board by the projects architects, Parette Somjen in Rockaway.

Drainage Issue

The Board of Educations original contract award to Tec Con in late June followed a courtesy review of the retaining wall project at a June 18 hearing before the Madison Planning Board. The replacement and improvement of the 6-foot-high retaining wall at the Kings Road School won the Planning Boards unanimous approval but not before the municipal land use board raised the issue of stormwater runoff with school district representatives.

Madison Zoning Officer Frank Russo told the Planning Board that he and Borough Engineer Vogel were concerned about drainage problems at the Kings Road School property.

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Kings Road School in Madison gets improved retaining wall