From The Press of Atlantic City — Construction should begin within a few weeks on the Greater Egg Harbor Regional district’s third high school, in Egg Harbor City, after the state School Development Authority gave the district the go-ahead to start building, officials said at Monday night’s board meeting.

The approvals came through on Friday, or 8-8-08, a day of good omens in Asian culture, said Superintendent Adam Pfeffer

“It all comes in good time and good purpose,” Pfeffer said. “It was a lucky day.”

The $81.7 million school is scheduled to open in September 2010, Pfeffer said.

The school will be located on Duerer Street, near the cemetery, and building activity should start within the month, said Charles Caramanna of Greyhawk Construction.

Voters in the sending towns of Hamilton, Mullica and Galloway townships and Egg Harbor City approved the new school by a nearly 2-to-1 margin in a referendum held last September.

Once completed, the school will accept students from Egg Harbor City, Mullica, Port Republic and Washington Township in Burlington County. It will also contain a magnet school, probably specializing in environmental sciences, that students from Galloway and Hamilton could attend.

In other business, district supervisor of special projects, Margaret Doran, told the board that High School Proficiency Test scores improved this past year at both Oakcrest and Absegami High Schools. The district meets or exceeds state standards in most components of the test, she said.

E-mail Elaine Rose:
ERose@pressofac.com