Renovating a School District after a Hurricane using Purchasing Contracts

In September of 2021, Hurricane Ida was a deadly force that swept over the gulf coast to the eastern coast, from Louisiana all the way up to New England. As the second most-damaging hurricane to hit Louisiana behind only Hurricane Katrina, it took over 100 lives and cost tens of billions of dollars in damage. Part of that damage was a result of catastrophic flooding that took place, primarily in the Northeast United States. Among those areas affected was the Bridgewater-Raritan School District in New Jersey. Three different schools in their district were damaged, including two primary schools and one middle school, resulting in the first day of school being pushed back from Thursday, September 9th, to Monday, September 13th. As if starting a new school year didn’t involve enough preparation already, they were now faced with several new challenges.

That’s where Longo Labs came into the picture. As a company, our mission is to help make your vision become a reality for renovation projects. Through our renovation of four different educational spaces, we were happy to help tackle this project for them and do our part to assist them in restoring their school to become functional again. However, classroom renovation projects are not cheap, so how does a township like Bridgewater, New Jersey afford renovations?

How to Renovate Different Types of Classrooms

As it turned out, each of the classrooms damaged in the storm were different types of classrooms. For Longo Labs, this was an exciting opportunity to help them rebuild because not only do we love the challenge of every renovation project that we take on, but we also love showcasing our diverse renovation abilities for our clients. This particular renovation included each of the following rooms: a culinary room, an art room, a robotics lab, and a life skills classroom.

Cost-Effective, Customizable Products

Despite these being different types of classrooms, they all received plastic laminate casework and countertops that can be used in different ways based on the needs of each particular room. One of the most popular features about our plastic laminate products is the variety of colors available. Plastic laminate is offered in more than 250 colors, so each room that we renovated looked a little bit different because they were customized with individual colors.

These classrooms also received our mobile student workstations, allowing for each classroom to move these tables around as needed. Primary and middle school classrooms are often being repurposed, and our flexible workstations are designed to meet the fluctuating demands of any educational environment. The art room received our art sink station, which is designed specifically for art classrooms to allow for plentiful storage and easy cleanup. The other rooms received our other sink and faucet fixtures.

The Role of Purchasing Contracts in School Renovations

Since the damage to the Bridgewater schools was due to flooding from the hurricane, insurance covered the purchase. Like other New Jersey school districts that we have worked with, the Bridgewater-Raritan School District purchased directly through the Educational Services Commission of New Jersey (ESCNJ) Buying Cooperative. This saves them both time and money to make their renovation both affordable and timely.

What are the Benefits of Using Purchasing Contracts?

If you use our contract purchasing, it allows for your school districts to budget and be more involved overall in the coordination of the renovation project. Purchasing contracts also allow for you to purchase directly from us, which gives you the liberty to decide which of our products will best suit the needs of your classrooms. Since they used the ESCNJ Purchasing Contracts, it allowed Longo Labs to work directly with school faculty for every aspect of the project, from planning to project completion, and get the students back on track for the new school year.

Don’t Overpay for Renovations: Contact Longo Labs

In the wake of natural disasters, it is important to put safety first because furniture can be replaced and buildings can be renovated – the Bridgewater-Raritan school district can attest to that. If your school needs to renovate classrooms or science labs, reach out to Longo Labs for questions or assistance with your upcoming school renovation project!