The Northampton Area School Board got a pleasant surprise at Monday night's meeting.

The cost of the new Northampton Area Middle School is apparently $5 million under budget.

Based on a presentation by Christopher W. Haller, project engineer, D'Huy Engineering Inc., concerning the bids and alternate bids, the middle school general construction cost is $42,053,500.

"This went almost one year to the day. For this size project, kudos to those involved," said Haller.

The cost is based on apparent low bidders unveiled at the Feb. 25 school board meeting.

Plans are to have the next two steps in the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) Plan Con Part F and G on the agenda for a vote at the 6:30 p.m. March 11 school board meeting.

Then, at the March 25 board meeting, it is hoped that notice to proceed will be given to bidders.

A May 10 construction start is envisioned. The middle school – for up to 1,500 students in grades six, seven and eight – is to be completed June 26, 2015. The old middle school is to be demolished Aug. 19, 2015.

"It's not just about the middle school. It's about improving your campus," Haller said, enumerating several aspects of the project in his PowerPoint presentation, including:

· Borough park site work;

· Pump station upgrade;

· Construction materials staging area;

· The middle school site improvements. "The building pad is going to be rock-solid," Haller said, explaining that soil will be replaced with stone.;

· Storm water system improvements;

· Separate primary electrical service to the secondary campus; and

· New Stadium Drive.

"It's not just for the school and students, but for the whole community," Superintendent Joseph Kovalchik said.

The middle school project includes a six-lane, two-diving-board, $3.5-million swimming pool.

"The pool is included in the base bid," said board President David Gogel.

"Originally, it [the pool] was $6 million," said board member Jennifer Miller.

"Let's not forget this is a building that the community will be actively involved in, whether it's the gym, cafeteria, library or swimming pool," said Kovalchik.

"The whole decision of this building is with the community in mind," said board member Dr. Michael Baird.

"It's a curriculum issue, as well. If you remove the pool, you're going to have to delete the program or rent a facility," Kovalchik said.

"We've had a pool in this school district and I don't want to not have a pool," said board member Jean Rundle.

The base bid for the middle school general contractor construction is $40,450,000, with the apparent low bidder being Penn Builders Inc., Quakertown.

The biggest debate concerning the bids and alternates Monday night had to do with the color of the surface of the new track at Al Erdosy Memorial Stadium.

Should it be the typical red? Or should it be orange, as in the Konkrete Kids' orange and black Northampton Area High School colors – for an additional $55,000?

Miller and Rundle said they'd prefer an orange track surface.

"And then what does it fade to – yellow or tan?" asked board Vice President Jane Erdo.

Board member Darin Arthofer also wasn't so sure about the cost of the orange surface color. "It's $55,000," he said.

Jay Clough, Principal, KCBA, and Haller said they would ask the firm bidding on the track if the administration could have 90 days to research the orange track surface color.

The eight school directors attending the meeting took no formal action on the presentation but, after discussion, agreed when polled by Kovalchik to the following bid alternates for the middle school, with the exception of the $55,000 for the orange-color track surface:

· Softball field: $595,000;

· Turf field (AstroTurf 3DH Monofilament) for Al Erdosy Memorial Stadium football field and an athletic field where the middle school is now located: $695,000;

· Terrazzo baseboards for interior walls: $19,500;

· Construction site excavations inspection: $250,000;

· Sod; $24,000;

· Loading dock leveler: $9,000.

General construction cost for the middle school, including the alternates, is $42,053,500.

Mechanical contractor Guy M. Cooper Inc., Willow Grove, was the apparent low bidder at $7,855,000.

Electrical contractor Wind Gap Electric, Wind Gap, was the apparent low bidder at $7,388,702.

Plumbing contractor J.R. Reynolds, Willow Street, was apparent low bidder at $3,416,700.

Other items include asbestos abatement, Sargent Enterprises, Jim Thorpe, $228,400; heating, ventilation and air conditioning review, H.T. Lyons Inc., Allentown, $133,500; construction waste management, Chrin Recycling Management, Easton, to not exceed $160,000; and construction testing, Advantage Engineers Inc., Allentown, $225,000.

Furniture is to cost $2.2 million.

The construction contingency fund has $4.7 million, the amount that the project came in under budget.

A total of $635,221 was spent to acquiring the Bethlehem Area Vocational-Technical School site.

Overall cost for the middle school is about $61 million, with about $19.6 million remaining in the $80.7-million campus improvement project.

A savings of $1.4 million in financing has been realized from the original $6 million, reducing financing costs to $4.7 million.