Results of the bid opening for the Northampton Area Middle School and Secondary Campus Project are expected to be reviewed at the 6:30 p.m. Feb. 11 Northampton Area School Board meeting.

The bids were to be opened at a public meeting, 3:30 p.m. Feb. 7, at the Northampton Area High School auditorium. Members of the public may attend the bid opening.

"The project is out to bid," Jay Clough, principal, KCBA, project architect, told NASD administration and school board officials at the Jan. 31 meeting.

Clough announced that there are eight general contractor bids, eight electrical contractor bids, eight mechanical contractor bids, six plumbing contractor bids and nine environmental contractor bids.

A two-hour presentation for contractors was given Jan. 22, Clough said.

Christopher W. Haller, D'Huy Engineering, project engineer, has given a site walk-through to about 30 contractors.

"The project is quite large so it does require a pretty good size bond," Clough noted. "We're very confident that we have good competition to get some good prices."

Ground-breaking for the three-story, 275,000-square-foot middle school may occur as soon as mid-March. The school, for grades 6, 7 and 8, will have 65 classrooms, 12 science labs, a cafeteria and gymnasium.

A swimming pool is a bid option.

The school will have a 1,500-student capacity, although 1,300 are expected when the school opens in fall 2015.

After the new school opens, the old school will be demolished. That area will be used for a bus loop and parking and an athletic field.

There is also expected to be new turf and a running track for the Al Erdosy Memorial Stadium.

A new field house is being built to replace the old field house, which will be demolished.

The administration and school board members discussed the merits of holding an auction of remaining items, such as furniture, in the Northampton Area Middle School, or to let contractors dispose of the items.

"You're going to get 10 cents for a desk," said school board member Dr. Michael Baird.

"I just want something as a souvenir," said board member Jean Rundle.

By consensus, the board chose to let contractors dispose of the school contents once usable items are removed, under supervision of NASD Director of Operations Robert J. Yanders.

Yanders noted that valuable items, such as air compressors, have been removed from the former Bethlehem Area Vo-Tech Building, which is to be demolished. "We took the valuable stuff," he said.

NASD Superintendent Joseph Kovalchik said meetings are being held concerning the phasing of construction to determine "the impact of the project on the campus."

Kovalchik said traffic patterns will be altered.

"Some things are going to change with the traffic flow," he said.

Major improvements are to be made to streets on or at the campus.