SCC Awards Contract For New Garfield Middle School

State Fully Funding $35 Million Construction of 1,200-Student Facility

Trenton, NJ (August 2, 2004) - The New Jersey Schools Construction Corporation (SCC) Board of Directors has awarded a $35 million contract to Torcon, Inc. of Westfield, NJ, for the construction of the new Garfield Middle School, a 178,00-square-foot facility that will provide 21st century educational opportunities for 1,200 students in 6th through 8th grades. SCC approved the contract with Torcon, Inc. at its board meeting July 28. Skanska USA Building Inc. of Parsippany, NJ, is serving as the project management firm.

The school will include 45 general classrooms, eight special education rooms, a large instruction room, eight small-group instruction rooms, media center, art and music rooms, computer and science labs, a greenhouse, cafetorium with stage, kitchen, gymnasium and administrative offices.

The state-of-the-art school project is being fully funded and managed by the SCC, which was initiated by Governor McGreevey on July 29, 2002 to implement New Jersey's unprecedented $8.6 billion school construction program. SCC has hundreds of projects under way and is making tremendous progress in fulfilling the visionary goal of Governor McGreevey to streamline the building of schools statewide.

"Our construction initiative - to provide safe, healthy and high quality school facilities - is the largest public building program ever undertaken by the State and one of the largest programs of its type ever undertaken in the nation," said John F. Spencer, CEO of SCC.

In addition to building 21st Century schools for 21st Century leaders, SCC is helping to achieve another of the Governor's goals - property tax relief and reform. The Governor's FY 2005 budget dedicates a record level and record increase in direct property tax relief programs, mostly through the new FAIR plan - funded by a "millionaire's" tax that will provide more than two million working families and seniors with increased property tax relief.

"The Garfield Middle School project presents a wonderful opportunity for Torcon, in partnership with SCC and the school district, to deliver a quality learning facility benefiting both students and the local community," stated Steven G. Mauer, vice president of Torcon, Inc., which is one of New Jersey's largest contractors, serving a broad cross-section of the state's best known public and private sector clients. The company is currently involved in many school construction projects including, Neptune High School, Union City Middle School and Watchung Hills Regional High School.

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