Trails Conference Begins Construction on Historic Schoolhouse

After several years of preparation, the NY-NJ Trails Conference has started construction on its final phase of renovations on Mahwah's Darlington Schoolhouse. The NYNJTC announced this week that construction work started Feb. 1.

Mahwah-based LaBarbiera Custom Homes, a division of VHI Builders, is carrying out the work, the environmental group said in the release. The group, "began interior renovations by grading and spreading gravel over ground-level crawl space and framing partitions for two small, new rooms on the first floor," it said.

Work outside the existing building will begin once the Conference secures needed approvals from DEP, and weather allows, the group said. 

The 1891 Darlington Schoolhouse is being transformed into the Conference's Headquarters and Visitors Center. Restoration will be in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Rehabilitation of Historic Properties, and the finished product will be an "energy efficient building with a minimal carbon footprint," the release said.  

"This will be achieved by good insulation and sealing of the building envelope, efficient equipment, LED lighting, and geothermal heating and cooling."

The Trails Conference and the township purchased the historic building in 2007 and have been working to restore it and renovate it into the group's headquarters ever since.