Ocean City Primary School was first constructed in 1965, and much of the building has seen no major renovation since then.
The Ocean City Board of Education on Wednesday awarded a $5,641,000 contract to 3R Painting and Contracting to renovate Ocean City Primary School.
The Neptune, N.J. company submitted the lowest of nine bids that were opened on Friday.
The contract award marks a milestone in a long-awaited overhaul of a school building that was constructed in 1965. The school needs a new roof, heating and cooling systems (HVAC), plumbing and electrical systems, windows and doors. Most classrooms have no air-conditioning, and some of the windows are 50-year-old originals, single-glazed and lined with asbestos.
With the contractor in place, the project remains on schedule to be completed this summer.
Ocean City's interim Business Administrator Mark Ritter said bids came in a little higher than what had been budgeted. With the state awarding many school construction grants at the same time, contractors can pick and choose their projects, he said.
In anticipation of that possibility the district had asked for a base bid that would accomplish the main objectives of the project — roof, HVAC, electrical and plumbing systems, windows/doors — and for alternate bids on some of the minor extras.
The contract award is for the base bid, but for none of the alternates.
Ocean City voters (11.11 percent turnout) approved a $2.5 million school bond referendum in a 755-239 vote in March 2014 to help pay for the project.
Ocean City will receive $2,399,279 from a state Regular Operating District (ROD) grant for school construction. The Ocean City School District will contribute the balance from a capital reserve fund.
