Late fall snowstorms and subfreezing temperatures are slowing Northampton Area Middle School construction, but the Secondary Campus Renovation Project is still on schedule.

"The weather hasn't been cooperating, but it's moving along," said Christopher W. Haller, project engineer with D'Huy Engineering Inc., during his middle school construction report at Monday night's Northampton Area School District Board meeting.

"We're looking for that one nice day," Haller added.

"We need a weather advocate," said Jay Clough, Principal KCBA, project architect. "That's the thing with a concrete building."

Haller said that load-bearing walls for the second story, where the gymnasium is to be located, are in place. Also, rebar, concrete and underground pipe work is continuing, when possible.

The middle school being constructed in the Borough of Northampton is scheduled to open for fall 2015 classes. The three-story, 272,000-square foot school will accommodate 1,500 sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students.

The $80.7-million project includes a new Stadium Drive, new field house, new parking lots and school bus drop-off area, new gymnasium and swimming pool, plus renovations to Al Erdosy Stadium.

In a related matter at the Dec. 16 meeting, the school board voted unanimously to set aside $1,035,394 in financing for the middle school to offset some of the financing at the conclusion of the project. Another $50,000 will be set aside for stadium-field house closing expenses, including moving equipment and transportation for home games at the Nazareth Area School District stadium.

The board will also set aside $2,243,678 for future Public School Employees' Retirement System (PSERS) rate increases.

Following Monday night's brisk 45-minute meeting, NASD Business Administrator Terry Leh told the Northampton Press, "We're reserving some of the fund balance for the next couple of years," adding, "You'll actually see a PSERS spike in the budget presentation."

The NASD 2014-15 preliminary budget is to be presented by Leh and NASD Superintendent Joseph Kovalchik at the next school board meeting, 6:30 p.m. Jan. 13. "It will be a good hour to an hour and a half presentation," said Kovalchik.

The preliminary budget is to be presented for a board vote at the 6:30 p.m. Jan. 20 meeting. "We won't finalize it until the end of May," Kovalchik emphasized.

In other business, NASD school directors voted 9-0 to:

· Allocate $1,550,000 in NASD facility capital Improvements. Leh said this pertains to several district buildings and projects;

· Allocate $3,407 for Other Post Employment Benefits obligations as committed fund balance reserves;

· Allocate $487,676 for inventory and $125,470 for prepaid expenses as non spendable fund balance reserves.