With the approval of two more contracts for restoration work at the Schenck farmstead, West Windsor is rounding the corner in its efforts to renew the historical landmark in the heart of the township.
The Township Council approved the contracts on October 26. The first was for $129,970 to Authentic Construction of Manasquan for the interior fit-out of the artifacts room in the barn on the site, as well as for the construction of foundations for the school house and wagon house. Once this work is done, the township can apply for a certificate of occupancy.
The second was a $45,000 contract to the New Jersey Barn Company for framing the wagon house.
Officials will also work to prepare a bid document to hire someone to install the sheeting and roof, as well as a door, for the wagon house. Once that work is done, the only remaining work will be the construction of restroom facilities on site, said Sam Surtees, the manager of the township’s Division of Land Use. That will be an item proposed for the 2010 capital budget. “The building is going to look like a farm structure so it will fit in.”
With the two new contracts in place, “we’re over the hump,” Surtees said, adding that officials want to get the bid document for the sheeting and roofing out before the end of the year.
Set back from Southfield Road, the Schenck Farmstead is buffered by the surrounding cornfields and rows of trees and shrubbery. The council endorsed a Master Plan for the farmstead in 2008.
The site’s structures date from approximately the 1740s to the early 1900s, and officials have hoped it would serve as a tool for educating residents about the town’s agricultural roots, as well as serve as the home base for the township’s historical society. The three structures on site — the Dutch-English barn, the carriage/wagon house, and the school house — complement the main house, which now serves as the historical society’s home.
The restoration project spans back to 1991, when the land and its structures were donated to the township by West Windsor land baron Max Zaitz. Officials have been working on its restoration ever since. The plan also allows for other historical structures to be located on site in the future. Some planned buildings include a windmill — already donated for the site — and a pump house.
Other Contracts. In other business during the October 26 meeting, council also approved a $26,206 contract to PB Americas of New York for engineering inspections to the Grover’s Mill Dam as well as a contract for $133,289 to Lucas Construction Group of Morganville for various bicycle and pedestrian improvements throughout town. Council also approved a contract for $8,500 to Remington & Vernick Engineers of Haddonfield for construction observation for bicycle circulation improvements.
The council also approved a contract for $52,175 to Van Note-Harvey Associates, of Alexander Road for engineering services for parking improvements in Community Park.
