Board Still Hopes to Renovate Old Long Branch High School

The Long Branch Board of Eduction has called reopening the old Long Branch High School on Westwood Avenue a "priority," Long Branch School District Superintendent Michael Salvatore said in a recent interview.

"The board's commentary is that it is a priority to open its doors again," Salvatore said.

Salvatore said funding is a large hurdle for the project, and that the district would likely the need the help of the New Jersey Schools Development Authority (SDA) to help pay for renovations.

"We are trying to review the possibility of opening the building again," Salvatore said. "But the funding is the tricky part."

Salvatore said the state had originally approved the project and coordinated the removal of asbestos and the building's old science wing.

"The entire site has been remediated to remove asbestos, but there's still a lot of work to be done," Salvatore said.

He said he is hopeful that the SDA will include the building in its next round of projects, as it did when the construction of the new George L. Catrambone School was approved.

He said the board is still "identifying the needs of the building," and has met with an architect to review the original plans for the school.

Renovating the building in stages in order to make the project more affordable could be a possibility as well," Salvatore said.