HILLSDALE — Cold weather, frozen pipes, and an aging heating system are complicating progress on the multimillion-dollar renovation of century-old George G. White Middle School, as the district works to regain months lost to earlier regulatory delays.
Efforts to expedite asbestos abatement, demolition, and construction at the school—already set back last year by an unexpected shift from local oversight to state supervision—have run into additional winter-related obstacles and rising costs, Superintendent Robert Lombardy said in a recent email obtained by Pascack Press.
Despite the setbacks, Lombardy said the district is still targeting the original July 2027 completion date and is exploring ways to “recover lost time,” according to his Feb. 7 message to parents and residents.
Cold weather compounds earlier delays
The project was delayed several months last year after the local construction code official declined to review or oversee the work, forcing the district to seek oversight from the state Department of Community Affairs (DCA). That transition added time and complexity before construction could begin.
More recently, below-normal temperatures have created new challenges at the site.
“Unfortunately, frigid temperatures have presented some challenges, as the building’s ailing HVAC system has struggled with the cold, leading to pipe leaks that could complicate and slow the abatement process,” Lombardy wrote. “To try and protect our timeline, we are investigating the use of temporary heat to stabilize the building’s interior.”
Lombardy did not specify the type or cost of the temporary heating measures. He said roughly 8% of the overall project budget has been set aside for contingencies, including unanticipated expenses and future change orders.
The second phase of asbestos abatement—covering the main three-story structure, including classrooms and offices—is expected to take eight to 10 weeks, Lombardy said. Demolition and renovation work will follow, with a third phase of asbestos removal, including the boiler room, planned for late spring.
‘A foundation of frustration’
Under the email subhead The Foundation of Frustration, Lombardy wrote that while progress is being made, “the initial March 2025 delays from our local approvals forced a transition to State Department of Community Affairs (DCA) oversight, adding significant time and cost.”
In a Sept. 27 letter posted on the district’s referendum website, Lombardy cited those delays as the reason the board moved quickly Sept. 26 to approve a $33.6 million construction contract with Dobco Inc. of Wayne. The contract covers full-scale renovations at George White Middle School and construction of a six-classroom addition.
Dobco was the lowest qualified bidder for the project, which is financed through passage of a $62.4 million school bond referendum approved by voters in September 2024.
Lombardy and then-board president Justin Saxon had previously criticized the former local construction code official for holding up the project, delays they said added hundreds of thousands of dollars in costs. That official has since retired.
“As with any large-scale public project, we are navigating the realities of logistical shifts and schedule delays,” Lombardy wrote. “While we move forward on our adjusted schedule, we continue to look for ways to potentially recover time lost due to our initial delay, if and where it is possible.”
Asbestos change order approved; vans purchased
At its Feb. 9 meeting, the school board approved a $5,500 third change order to the asbestos abatement contract with T&M Associates. The additional cost covers onsite demolition monitoring and asbestos bulk material sampling over a three-day period in the building’s central core areas, according to Resolution 1BG.
Lombardy said further change orders are likely as abatement continues and additional asbestos is discovered in previously unidentified areas.
With the latest approval, the total cost of asbestos remediation increased from $194,800 to $208,450. That figure includes an earlier $8,150 change order for DCA paperwork, additional design services, project monitoring, and transmission electron microscopy air sampling.
At its Jan. 19 meeting, the board also approved nearly $27,000 in additional asbestos-related costs, including the $8,150 change order and nearly $19,000 for additional remediation work by B&G Restoration in rooms 114 and 115.
The board on Feb. 9 also approved the purchase of three eight-passenger vans to support special-needs student transportation.
The 2026 Ford Transit TCI Mobility vans, purchased through a national cooperative from H.A. DeHart & Son Inc., will cost $82,870.93 each, or $248,612.79 total. The vehicles are configured for non-CDL use and include a school bus preparation package, according to the resolution.
Lombardy said the vans are not wheelchair-accessible but will reduce the district’s reliance on outside transportation providers and are expected to be more cost-effective. The vehicles are scheduled to arrive by summer and will be assigned routes beginning in September.