FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 30, 2019
Contact: Edye Maier (609-858-2909)



New Jersey Schools Development Authority Celebrates Construction Milestone with Beam Signing Event for New Camden High School

Beam_Signing_in_Camden_High_School.jpg

CAMDEN, NJ –The New Jersey Schools Development Authority (SDA) joined Camden School District students, state and local officials today at a ceremonial beam-signing event for the new Camden High School. Today’s event highlights the construction progress of the new school, with the steel structure nearly complete.

"The new Camden High School is taking shape with the framework nearly complete, getting us closer to delivering to the Camden community a modern and efficient facility that will have a lasting impact on thousands of students’ lives for generations to come,” said SDA Interim CEO Manuel Da Silva. “This new school continues the Murphy Administration’s investment in New Jersey’s students and is a testament to the strong partnerships SDA shares with the local school district officials and community stakeholders."

The new Camden High School will be an approximately 270,000-square-foot, two-story facility, for approximately 1,200 students in 9th through 12th grade. The school will include four small learning communities, gymnasiums, cafeteria, auditorium and media center, among many of its state-of-the-art amenities. The facility is scheduled to open to students in 2021.

In recognition of the community's connection with the former High School facility, the new Camden High School will incorporate items preserved from the previous building. Such historic elements will include stairs from the main entryway, portions of the gym floor, a lantern, bricks and a turret among other items.

"This is an exciting time as this milestone marks progress for our district. We are closer to providing future generations of Camden High Students even greater opportunities and exposures to academic and athletic excellence,” said Superintendent Katrina McCombs. “This new facility underscores our commitment to our students’ success, the district, and the community."

The $132.6 million school is being built using the design-build approach. This method differs from the traditional approach in that SDA contracts with one firm for both design and construction of a school facilities project. The design-build method also allows for some design and construction activities to proceed concurrently through phased advancement, an approach that potentially allows for improvement upon the original overall schedule.

Ernest Bock & Sons, Inc. was awarded a $99.6 million design-build contract for the design and construction of the school. As part of the design-build contract, Ernest Bock & Sons, Inc. is working with DIGroup Architecture + Planning, on the design. CBRE | Heery is managing the project.

The SDA has invested approximately $264 million in completed projects

Beam_Signing_in_Camden_High_School2.jpg

in Camden alone since the inception of the school construction program. This includes five Capital projects and 59 health and safety/grant/emergent projects.


About the New Jersey Schools Development Authority

The SDA is the State agency responsible for fully funding and managing the new construction, modernization and renovation of school facilities projects in 31 SDA Districts. Its current portfolio of active projects is valued at approximately $2 billion – including the Capital Project portfolio, emergent projects and Regular Operating District grants. Since the program’s inception, the SDA has provided funding for and management oversight of more than 850 completed school facilities projects in SDA Districts and has executed more than 5,400 grants for Regular Operating Districts throughout the State of New Jersey. For more information about the SDA, please visit our website at: www.njsda.gov or follow us on social media at: Facebook; Instagram; LinkedIn; or Twitter.