P'burg keeps project alive Lack of funding has stalled school. But district hasn't given up. Tuesday, January 23, 2007 • By DANIEL HAUSMANN • The Express-Times PHILLIPSBURG | A refresher on the proposed new high school led to more feelings of frustration about the long-delayed project. Phillipsburg School Board President Paul Rummerfield and Superintendent Gordon Pethick invited architect Jeff Venezia to bring board members up to speed on the high school's construction. Venezia went through renderings of what the three-floor, 400,000-square-foot facility would look like. "So all we need is $88 million and contractors," Venezia said. The high school has been on the shelf since July 2005 when the New Jersey School Construction Corporation announced it only had enough money to fund 59 of 350 statewide school projects. Workers were able to complete some excavation work, athletic fields and a road before the project was shut down. "Between $15 and $16 million is in this project," Pethick said. If the project gets off the ground again, it's slated to be built on 126 acres at the northern end of Roseberry Street in Lopatcong Township. Venezia said delays have raised the original estimated cost of $100 million by 7 to 8 percent. "It's not getting any cheaper," Venezia said. Venezia said he is keeping an eye on legislation in Trenton which, if passed, could pump $2.5 billion into Abbott District construction projects. Pethick said the high school is continuing to face growing space problems with the influx of more students. Increasing enrollment numbers have forced students into trailers, creating safety concerns. "It has to be corrected," Pethick said. If a check was cut tomorrow, Venezia said the project could get back up and running in two to three months with a 30-month construction schedule to follow. Pethick said the school board has been on a rollercoaster from the time the project was approved to today. "It's just a sad situation," Pethick said. Rummerfield he can remember discussing the new school a decade ago. "We've lost a whole generation of students," Rummerfield said. Rummerfield said the situation can be equally frustrating for the sending districts. Township freshmen entering Phillipsburg High School this fall will likely have spent time in a school built in the past 10 years. Pethick said students in grades 5-12 from Phillipsburg and the sending districts will be writing letters to Gov. Jon Corzine urging him to push the project forward. "I hope the next time I'm here it's for a construction report," Venezia said. Reporter Daniel Hausmann can be reached at 610-258-7171 or by e-mail at dhausmann@express-times.com. © 2006 The Express-Times. Used by NJ.com with permission.