Long Beach Island board approves design services and asbestos administration for Ethel A. Jacobsen renovations

The Long Beach Island Board of Education voted Aug. 20 to hire professional consultants and to proceed with asbestos-administration services tied to planned mechanical and facility upgrades at Ethel A. Jacobsen School in Surf City.

Board members approved a proposal from RJB Environmental Inc. for asbestos abatement administration — covering project design, bid/quote administration, monitoring and close-out — at a fee of $5,155. The motion passed on a roll-call vote, with six members in favor and one opposed (Mr. Schragger).

The board also approved a proposal from Spiezle Architectural Group, Inc. to provide professional services for design and mechanical/electrical/plumbing (MEP) upgrades at the Ethel Jacobsen School. Meghan Lee, the district school business administrator and board secretary, told the board the project is new for mechanical upgrades and "the project will go out to bid." The minutes do not list an approved contract price for Spiezle; the board approved the firm to proceed as presented.

The approvals follow committee discussions earlier the same day in which board members reviewed a Spiezle proposal and an Ethel Jacobsen transition plan. The board's action on asbestos administration is intended to allow the district to prepare bid documents and to comply with required environmental controls before renovation work begins.

Board President Colette Southwick opened the meeting and read the district's adequate-notice statement at the start of the session.

Next steps recorded in the meeting minutes: the district will move the Spiezle design work toward a bidding process; the asbestos administration contract will be monitored and closed out by RJB Environmental as the project proceeds.

The board did not identify a construction budget or expected total project cost for the renovations at the meeting; the district will present bid results and further budget details at a later date.