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Hudson County withdraws Liberty Science lease ordinance, plans $76 million reintroduction after added funding
Summary
County officials say cost proposals for Liberty Science High School exceeded earlier estimates; the Improvement Authority expects a $10 million transfer from redevelopment escrow and the county voted to withdraw the previously advertised $73 million ordinance so a $76 million lease-purchase ordinance that includes a gym can be introduced and heard on Nov. 25.
Hudson County administrators told commissioners at the Nov. 12 caucus that the projected cost to build Liberty Science High School is substantially higher than the $50 million figure in the ordinance the Board had advertised for public hearing. County Administrator Abraham Antun said the Improvement Authority’s cost proposals came in at about $62.6 million without a gym and $66.6 million with a gym, and that the Liberty Science Foundation and the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency have agreed to provide an additional $10 million to close the gap.
“The ordinance that we presented to you assumed a cost of $50 million,” Antun told the Board, and he asked commissioners to withdraw the advertised ordinance (A‑1), cancel the public hearing and reintroduce a new lease-purchase ordinance at $76 million so the project can include the gymnasium.
The Board voted to withdraw A‑1. Commissioners Baselice and Kopacz moved and seconded the withdrawal motion; the Clerk recorded an affirmative roll call from Commissioners Aponte‑Lipski, Baselice, Cedeño, Cifelli, Kopacz, O’Dea, Rodriguez and Chairman Anthony Romano.
How the extra $10 million will be delivered to the Hudson County Improvement Authority (HCIA) was the subject of follow-up questioning. HCIA representatives said the funds are expected to be released from an escrow account controlled by the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency (JCRA) and SciTech LLC and wired to the Authority “solely for the purpose of constructing the school.” Mike O’Connor of the HCIA said the escrow agreement and related TRC (technical review committee) procurement reports would be circulated to the Commissioners on request.
O’Connor also summarized the procurement review: the technical-review committee scored bids and awarded highest technical points to Terminal Construction, which also later returned the lowest price among the proposers. He said the TRC report and materials are available on the Improvement Authority website and will be provided to County leadership.
What happens next: Administration asked the Board to place a replacement ordinance (I‑3) for $76 million on the agenda for introduction and to schedule the public hearing for the Nov. 25 Board meeting. Antun said the additional funding would enable the inclusion of the gym in the project scope; the Board agreed to put the new ordinance on the agenda.
The HCIA representatives and county counsel said they would provide Commissioners with a copy of the escrow agreement and the HCIA technical-review materials ahead of the public hearing. The Board did not take the public hearing on the original ordinance on Nov. 12; the revised ordinance and its supporting procurement documents were described as forthcoming.
