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Fort Lee board hears architects’ plan to upgrade high school for ADA compliance and replace aging systems
Summary
At its Dec. 15 meeting, the Fort Lee Board of Education heard a presentation from architects at EMB outlining 2026–27 capital projects focused on ADA accessibility, locker-room and bathroom renovations, and HVAC replacements; the board said projects will be funded from the capital reserve rather than the general fund tax levy.
At the Dec. 15 Fort Lee Board of Education meeting, architects from EMB presented a facilities plan that prioritizes accessibility upgrades and repairs at the high school and across district buildings in 2026–27.
Charlie Koch, introduced by the superintendent as EMB’s vice president and managing principal, walked the board through presentation pages showing interior ramps without handrails, stairwells lacking area-of-refuge signage and two-way communication, bathrooms and locker rooms past their life cycles, and existing gang-style showers that the plan would convert into accessible single showers. “We’re gonna be putting handrails on the interior ramps,” Koch said while describing the fixes. The presentation also identified a faulty chiller at the intermediate school that will require rooftop replacement and noted installation of condensate piping for induction units across multiple floors.
Board members pressed architects and staff on timing and cost. The presenters and staff said chiller procurement carries an approximately 8–10 month lead time, meaning procurement and scheduling will require advance planning. The board indicated the district has engaged Environetics to complete drawings and specifications. A district official said the projects identified for next year will be funded from the business capital reserve account and will not raise the general-fund tax levy.
Koch and district staff described the district’s long-range facilities plan as “dynamic”: more schools (schools 2, 3 and 4) have needs identified and will be prioritized in future updates, but the high school’s immediate, code- and accessibility-related work is being scheduled first. The board and staff emphasized that bathroom renovations are planned as full replacements—new piping, valves and finishes—to meet ADA requirements and federal program conditions tied to Perkins funding at the high school.
The district said it will continue to refine the project list and meet with school administrators and staff to review drawings before work begins next summer. No specific contract awards were approved at the meeting; design and procurement steps remain underway.
