Freehold board hears renderings and timeline for referendum-funded security and renovation work

Rob Davita, the district’s school business administrator and board secretary, introduced an update on the voter-approved referendum work and turned the presentation over to Olga Panchal of Speasel Architectural Group.

“My name is Olga Panchal. I’m a project manager at Speasel Architectural Group,” Panchal said as she walked the board through renderings and plans for all eight schools in the district. She described a scope that includes security vestibules at every building, replacement of interior and exterior doors with security hardware, upgrades to nurse suites with private exam rooms and cots, HVAC and fire alarm work, and new glazing and glazing-mounted intercoms for visitor check-in windows.

Panchal said the design emphasizes separating staff and visitor circulation: a double-door staff entrance with card access and a single visitor door that opens into a secure vestibule with a check-in window and pass-through tray. In pod-style buildings such as Applegate and Ericsson, the plan inserts permanent classroom walls and doors while preserving adjacent collaborative spaces, she said. Panchal noted the designs include ADA-compliant toilets for special-education classrooms.

Board members asked technical questions about door hardware and lockdown procedure. Panchal explained teachers can lock classroom doors from the inside and that exterior access remains keyed; glass in vestibules will be specified with security film to delay shattering. On film specification she said the district typically specifies a 23-mil security film used by other districts and that glazing will be clear but laminated to hold together under impact.

Davita certified the district’s financial posture for the project before the presentation, saying, “as of 10/31/2025, no line item has been overexpended,” and described the next steps: completing construction documents, submitting state reviews and permits, putting the addition/alteration bid package out in February 2026, and starting the first phase of construction in June 2026. A second phase for long-lead equipment and remaining mechanical work is scheduled for summer 2027. Roofing replacement work for six schools is being handled separately and will be bid on a different schedule.

Administrators warned that some interior work will require swing space during the school year; Erickson and Applegate will need to relocate one wing at the end of next year, and other schools will need two or three swing spaces since not all work fits within short summer windows. The board said it will develop phasing details and meet with principals and staff to prepare buildings for construction.

The presentation concluded with remarks of thanks and no formal board action tied directly to the presentation at this meeting. The board will receive finalized phasing plans and procurement documents as they are completed.