Lawrence School District takes bold steps to shield high school from future storms

To safeguard the Lawrence High School campus in Cedarhurst from the impact of severe weather events such as Hurricane Sandy, the Lawrence school district is moving forward with measures to mitigate future tidal surges and flooding.

The school district is seeking to build a concrete seawall at the rear of the high school campus in an effort to hold back the water in Motts Creek. Pumping stations, flood barriers and new landscaping and sports facilities are also part of the proposal.

Construction is expected to take 18 months, and cost an estimated $75 million, according to Lawrence Board of Education President Murray Foreman, who said he believed the bulk of the funding would come from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The district applied for the money after Sandy in 2012.

“This is one of, hopefully, the final steps in terms of securing the FEMA funding for essentially rebuilding the high school,” Foreman said, “to prevent future flooding.”

When the high school reopened after Sandy, it was discovered that saltwater had begun eroding the electrical wiring. The building, on Reilly Road, was flooded by roughly eight feet of water, closed in January 2013 and did not reopen until April.

An environmental assessment was conducted, in accordance with National Environmental Policy Act guidelines. If FEMA does not receive comments from the public, it will issue a Finding of No Significant Impact. If it does receive any comments, the agency will evaluate and address them. Community members have until Feb. 9 to submit their opinions.

Hurricane Sandy was declared a major disaster by President Barack Obama a day after the Oct. 29 storm struck, which made federal disaster assistance available to affected communities and eligible nonprofit organizations.

The school district applied for federal assistance to repair electrical damages that ended up costing nearly $15 million. The district was reimbursed $14.387 million in 2019.

Jeremy Feder, assistant superintendent for business and operations, who joined the school district the year after the storm, recalled having a “figuring out” moment as he determined what needed to be addressed.

“You’re still figuring out what happened and how to prevent it from happening again,” he recalled, “as well as navigating through this government agency called FEMA.”

Since Sandy, the district has made significant repairs, ranging from its electrical and plumbing systems to tree and road damage, Feder said. Asked how much it all cost, he said he could not recall, given the time that has passed, but he noted that FEMA had covered “most” of it. “FEMA was very, very helpful,” he said.

For the proposed seawall project, the school district is expected to use a portion of the $12.5 million it made on the recent sale of the Number Five School to the Shulamith School for Girls for any expenses that FEMA doesn’t cover.

The school district has not yet hired a contractor for the project.

Foreman said he favors the opportunity for public comment, especially on the potential environmental impact of the work.

“We certainly are hopeful that we receive no negative comments, or that any potential objections might be raised,” he said. “Having said that, I’m very much in favor of the opportunity for the public to comment, because this facility is a public trust, and they have every right to weigh in.”

District Superintendent Ann Pedersen — who was the assistant superintendent for academic affairs when Sandy struck — said that the seawall project is a long-awaited remediation for damage the superstorm left in its wake.

“We’re really ecstatic to be at this place, for now,” Pedersen said, “to be able to make some improvements for the good of the community and for the good of the students at Lawrence High School.”

More information on the proposal, and on how to submit a comment, is available at Peninsula Public Library, at 280 Central Ave. in Lawrence.

Have an opinion on the proposed projects? Send a letter to jbessen@liherald.com.