Repairs at Storm-Ravaged School Completed

Repair work at an Ironbound grade school that was heavily damaged by Tropical Storm Irene two years ago was officially completed Wednesday, the state Schools Development Authority announced.

The second and final phase of repairs and upgrades at the 130-year-old Wilson Avenue School began last August and was largely carried out in the late afternoons and at night so as not to disrupt classes.

“In partnership with Newark Public Schools, the rehabilitation work to this 19th century building was expedited with each entity doing its part to bring it to completion,” said Marc Larkins, the head of the SDA. “The completion of this project marks a proud day for the SDA and demonstrates [the Gov. Chris Christie] administration’s commitment to ensure that New Jersey’s educational facilities provide students an environment in which they can thrive.”

A mold problem that cropped up after the school was inundated by Irene forced the district to close Wilson Avenue for the first half of the 2011-12 school year, while its 700 students were sent to other schools. The Newark Public School district spent $600,000 to clean up the facility before classes resumed in January 2012.

The district asked the state for help to shore up the aging school, whose crumbling masonry and worn roof allowed water to infiltrate during Irene. The SDA paid for and supervised the $1.6 million project to replace the school’s wooden windows, patch up the roof, fix disintegrating brickwork and to otherwise “seal” the building from the elements.