What architect to use was the main question of the evening at the Nov. 6 Northwestern Lehigh School Board operations committee meeting.

Would the district use MKSD, which has been working with Northwestern Lehigh for several years or would another firm be chosen?

Other questions included future plans, would there be a new facilities master plan and whether future projects should be mapped out?

Board member Willard Dellicker said architects who want to work for the district should present proposals and costs for working up a Facilities Master Plan.

Assistant Superintendent Jennifer Holman said the last major study was done in 2005 but it was not a comprehensive plan.

"We have to define what we want, an assessment of each building, their capacities and conditions," she said. "Someone has to go through the building and create an assessment."

Board member Joe Reiter said student enrollment is at the 1997 level, so the schools have been overbuilt.

Holman said it is the birth to age 5 children that are important. The district has to know where they live so a line can be drawn for the elementary schools.

Reiter said he has a list of architects he met at the Pennsylvania School Boards Association meetings.

Member Greg Sanders said if they want Requests For Proposals they have to be sure people are comparing apples to apples

Member LeRoy Sorensen said skill sets are more important than price. He wants to evaluate their best offerings.

Dellicker said MKSD can provide an RFP because it has a history with the district, which should have or should obtain MKSD's previous work in an electronic format.

Ron Morrison said there should be a clause about the responsible party, if something goes wrong.

Holman said lavatory partitions and doors and the high school roof project are on a punch list.

The gym bleacher railings need repair as well as floor tiling in a classroom and the teachers' room. The half-moon library windows have to be recaulked and the middle school sprinkler system has to be tested.

Snow removal will be done with a minimum of contractors, preferring to do it in house when possible.

Morrison asked about water collecting on the roof.

Holman said it will be connected to a drain. Sorensen asked if calculations were done to be sure the drain is large enough to carry the water it presently does plus what has been collecting.

Some pieces project above floor level to hold the main doors open in the high school. This was considered a tripping hazard.

As no one had better suggestions it was decided a mullion will be necessary and the repair should be done.

Board member Darryl Schafer said the girls locker rooms have glass brick through which shadows can be seen at night and that is "totally unacceptable."

Holman said painting the blocks up to shoulder height would be corrective but first the problem needs to be verified.

Business Manager Leslie Frisbee set forth a plan to use a holding tank (wet well) at Weisenberg Elementary School until the Lehigh County Authority is ready for the school to tie into the county wastewater system.

The school was using an on-lot septic system but it is insufficient for the enlarged school.

The amount of the tapping fee still needs to be determined.

The permit for the wet well has not been approved at the state level. The well will have to be bid and LCA wants a contract in place before it talks with the district.

This would be the first project for an architect.