“Clean … Sleek …. Modern.”
These are not words people are using to describe a new spa. They are actually describing the newly renovated boys’ bathroom in the Upper School hallway.
MFS renovated the bathrooms over the summer, getting rid of the old, musty smell. While the girls’ bathroom was redone a number of years ago, the boys’ bathroom was always tabled due to other projects taking priority around the campus.
“It almost became a joke … okay, we gotta do that boy’s bathroom … so we’ve known about it and have been wanting to do something about it for a long time,” explained Lisa Carbone Warren, Director of Finance and Operations.
Carbone Warren explained that by keeping the same room, the school didn’t need permission and permits from the township, and was able to get the project done efficiently.
“It’s the same fundamental room; they didn’t have to do much plumbing,” said Larry Brandimarto, Physical Facilities Manager.
“Once I had been given all the samples, I asked Mr. Brandon, Mr. Zakroff, and Mr. Van Meter to help pick the color palette because they are guys! So they actually helped to make the material selections,” said Carbone Warren.
The bathroom designer got really behind, so there were only 3 weeks to complete the job before the start of school, causing many contractors to turn down the job. The designer called the idea at that point “dead in the water,” but Carbone Warren kept trying.
Rick Malik, parent of sophomore Madelyn, and his company Moorestown Construction took on the job. In just 3 weeks the project went from start to finish. They did an “awesome job,” Carbone Warren said with a smile. “I cannot believe they got it done in time for school.”
People around the school seem to be very happy with the new bathroom.
“I have been waiting 14 years for this to happen. It’s been a long journey, but we persevered and came out on top. I believe it has strengthened our community and brought us into a better tomorrow,” said Senior Matt Knowlton; a bit of sarcasm in his tone, sure, but an underlying sincerity beneath that. To students, even small things like bathroom renovations can end up meaning a lot.
One of the few complaints about the new bathroom has been about the placement of the mirror; it is situated rather awkwardly just beside the door, instead of above the sink. Brandimarto noted that this decision was made out of concern that if the mirror was to be placed above the sink, people outside could see right in when the door was opened. However, since students have expressed a wish to have a mirror there regardless, Brandimarto confirmed that such a change was possible.
Plans to redo the upstairs and downstairs bathroom are in the works, but according to both Carbone Warren and Brandimarto, the specifics of when that will get done are still up in the air, depending largely on other maintenance projects.
