Gloucester City ground broken for new school

Gloucester City celebrated a long-awaited groundbreaking on a new middle school Monday.

Expected to open in September 2017, the 122,000-square-foot school will have about 685 students in grades four through eight. It will house 27 general classrooms, eight special education rooms, three science classrooms, a cafetorium with stage, a gym, a media center, a computer lab, offices, and outdoor recreation facilities.

"It's going to be such a tremendous academic asset," said Superintendent Joseph Rafferty.

Like other district buildings, the new school at 500 Market St. will also be a resource for the community, Rafferty said.

The middle school is expected to ease crowding and expand program opportunities.

Currently, seventh and eighth graders are in the high school. Fourth through sixth graders attend the Mary Ethel Costello School, which has limited facilities. For example, the track for Costello students is the sidewalk outside the building, Rafferty said.

"We're hoping to have [Costello] repurposed," Rafferty said, possibly for municipal use.

The total cost of the project is $63.9 million, said Edye Maier, a spokeswoman for the state Schools Development Authority. That includes costs incurred years ago, such as acquiring about 65 properties where the school will be situated.

The project and the site work it required were seen as key in the revitalization of its neighborhood and a hub for the industrial city. The new school has been in the works nearly 15 years, according to Rafferty.

About 10 years ago, the then-Schools Construction Corp. announced the project was being put on hold because of limited funds. Other projects were allowed to go forward.

SDA's Maier said "multiple factors contributed to the time it has taken to break ground on the new school since the start of design work in 2003," including site preparation and agency program review.

"The SDA is pleased to see this project break ground and begin construction under the program reforms instituted under the Christie administration, and is confident that the most appropriate project will be delivered to benefit the students of Gloucester City," she said.

Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno and the SDA's chief executive, Charles B. McKenna, attended Monday's groundbreaking.

At the ceremony, a straw hat was placed on one of the shovels in honor of Louisa Lewellyn, an advocate for Gloucester City's children, and a former Board of Education president and community activist. A straw hat was her fashion signature. She died at the end of last year.

"What a beautiful day, just looking up and thinking of her," Rafferty said.