Chatham High Parking Lot Expansion Complete

Board of Education will also vote on a counseling contract with Project Community Pride.

When the Board of Education meets Monday evening, Peter Daquila, the business administrator for the School District of the Chathams, will report that the parking lot at Chatham High School was completed last week. The full lot, which adds 82 spaces, is now available for use to the staff at Chatham High School, opening up some of the pre-existing 253 spaces for the high school's expanding student population. According to plans by the administration, teachers and staff members will use the lot, and the vacated spaces in the outer lot will be given over for increased student parking. A teacher will be assigned to the lot each day between 7 and 8 a.m. and will only allow permitted parkers to enter the lot. Also, the fee for a student parking …

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Parking Lot Partially Complete, Open

The Board of Education will hear an update on the construction at Chatham High School during their Monday night meeting.

The Board of Education will hear an update on the construction at Chatham High School, including an update on the partially-complete parking lot expansion. According to Peter Daquila, the district's business administrator, the parking lot at Chatham High is about half complete, and the completed portion of the lot is open for cars. The remaining portion of the lot is scheduled to be complete in November. The board will also hear an update on the audit of instructors of various after school enrichment courses in the district. Anyone with contact with children in the district have to be fingerprinted, but several after school enrichment courses are taught by outside contractors, such as Color Me Mine pottery, or by teachers from other school…

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VIDEO: Rain Postpones School Construction

Chatham High School and Washington Avenue School have outstanding construction projects.

Peter Daquila, the business administrator for the School District of the Chathams, told the Board of Education Tuesday that Chatham schools began with construction project not yet completed. A roofing improvement project at Washington Avenue School is "about 98 percent complete," Daquila said, with some trim work still outstanding. Construction of the parking lot expansion at Chatham High School is expected to be complete within two weeks, though Daquila said he did not know rainy weather might postpone construction further. Daquila commended the Buildings and Grounds staff at the various schools, who worked during and immediately after Tropical Storm Irene to get the buildings ready for the start of school. In particular he mentioned …

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Back to School 2011

New Classrooms, Parking Lot for Middle School

What to expect when school starts up.

Chatham Middle School has changed more than its dress code. Three new classrooms are currently being added to the school to help accommodate its growing population. The administration found that rooms formerly used to teach shop classes at the middle school could be converted into classrooms, which “gives us room for growth over the next couple of years,” according to Board of Education member Al Burgunder. Robert Accardi, the principal at Chatham High School, said that the new classrooms should be "ready to go" when school starts again Sept. 6. Other upgrades to the school include a newly repaved and painted parking lot, which was finished before Hurricane Irene hit in August, and other upgrades to the physical plan of the school. "When …

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Back to School 2011

A Year for Expansion at Chatham High

From the parking lot to academic programs, school has grown in more than just enrollment.

Chatham High School administrators are busy putting the finishing touches on classrooms and facilities in anticipation of welcoming back teachers Thursday and students on Tuesday. "I think the conversion of some of the space for classrooms in the building is going to look different," Principal Darren Groh said. "We have more instructional space than we've had in the past." Three rooms inside the school were converted into classrooms, including the science department office on the ground level, a computer lab and the athletic office, which is now located across from the trainer's office near the gymnasiums. "Right now we're scheduled for school and we're at full capacity," Groh said. "So there are some periods in the day where we have no …

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Hurricane Pushes Back High School Parking Lot

Interim superintendent says lot will be finished within two weeks of school starting.

Dennis Fyffe, the interim superintendent of the School District of the Chathams, said Hurricane Irene has delayed the construction of the parking lot expansion at Chatham High School. Fyffe previously said he expected the lot to be complete before school starts Sept. 6, but recent heavy rains and the hurricane have made that deadline impossible. "It'll be completed within a week or two of school starting," Fyffe said. Paving was completed at the Chatham Middle School parking lot before the hurricane last weekend, complete with painting and speed bumps. A large sinkhole in the bridge off of Van Doren Avenue, however, impedes access to the middle school. Power at Other Schools Hurricane Irene also caused power to go out at district offices, …

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Construction Expected to Finish Before School Starts

Roofs, classroom renovations and parking lots slated to be ready for start of new school year.

Much of the school construction work in Chatham is slated to be finished just in time for the new school year. During the regular Board of Education meeting Monday night, Business Administrator Peter Daquila gave an overview of the various construction projects going on at the schools, including: In other business:

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High School Parking Lot Expansion Begins

Work underway to install 82 additional spaces before start of school year.

Construction of the parking lot expansion at Chatham High School was underway by Monday morning, with construction equipment, marking posts and a gravel path at the scene. Interim Superintendent Dennis Fyffe and Board of Education President Tom Belding said district officials met with John Ruschke, the engineer for Chatham Township, last Wednesday to discuss several outstanding "minor issues," according to Belding. Fyffe said the issues included a revised lighting plan for the parking lot, the wall height along a certain part of the lot, and, what Fyffe said is the biggest discussion item, stormwater management. Construction was scheduled to begin as soon as these issues were resolved. "The contractor is mobilizing equipment and …

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Parking Lot Expansion Still Pending at Chatham High

The President of the Board of Education said meetings are scheduled with the township engineer this week.

Board of Education President Tom Belding said Monday that the district has not yet received the necessary permits for the expansion of the Chatham High School parking lot. In an email Monday evening, Belding said that he expected the permits to be approved "pending discussion of a few minor issues with the [Chatham] Township engineer on Wednesday." Interim Superintendent Dennis Fyffe said Tuesday that the issues included a revised lighting plan for the parking lot, the wall height along a certain part of the lot, and, what Fyffe said is the biggest item for discussion, stormwater management. "I think it's just different interpretations of what's required [in stormwater management," Fyffe said. Fyffe said he believed the discussion on …

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