Construction of a new Lehigh Elementary School is expected to begin in 1-1/2 years.

A preview of the new $34.2 million school was provided at the Feb. 26 Northampton Area School District Board of Education meeting in the Northampton Area High School cafeteria.

“We’ll provide a lot of updates to the board this year,” said Michael Kelly, principal of project development, KCBA Architects, Hatfield, who helmed a PowerPoint presentation of site depictions, floor plans and artists’ preliminary renderings of the school exterior.

Also attending the meeting from KCBA were James “Jay” Clough, founding principal, and Jamie Bortz, design professional. KCBA is the architect of the Northampton Area Middle School and secondary campus renovation project.

Attendees included Christopher W. Haller, senior project manager, D’Huy Engineering Inc., Bethlehem, resident project engineering services for the design phase of the Lehigh Elementary School project.

“We’re about three months into this,” NASD Superintendent of Schools Joseph S. Kovalchik said. “Teachers, administration, students, parents and community will all be part of this decision.”

The project timetable is:

Act 34 hearing, required for public input on the school project, fall 2018

Design phase, December 2018-February 2019

Bidding phase, March-May 2019

Construction start, summer 2019

Occupancy, May 2021

Demolition of old Lehigh Elementary School, May 2021-May 2022

A vote on approval of the Pennsylvania Department of Education PlanCon A&B, one of several mandated outlines for the project, was expected to be on the agenda of the March 12 meeting.

“Though the state is no longer doing partial reimbursement for a project,” Clough said the procedure for stages of project reimbursement will be followed in the event that state funding is restored.

NASD, working with KCBA, will apply for an Alternative and Clean Energy Grant for the school. KCBA may also pursue LEED Gold certification, the highest degree of sustainability, for the building.

“It’s something the design team is looking into,” Kelly said.

KCBA will be working with Robert J. Yanders, NASD director of operations, on the project.

“We’re working to create a beautiful building educationally and operationally,” Kelly said.

A new building, at approximately 97,000 square feet, would accommodate 700 students and add a fifth kindergarten classroom, seven classrooms with an increase from 13 to 20 classrooms and a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) lab and classroom.

The building will be situated roughly to the right of the existing school, 800 Blue Mountain Road, Walnutport, Lehigh Township. The site of the old school will become a parking lot, school bus loop and student drop-off area, and soccer fields.

“The additional acreage was absolutely essential,” Kelly said. “It’s almost completely on those two other properties,” Kelly said of the new school site.

The plan is to construct the new school while the old school is in use. Once the new school is completed, the old school will be demolished.

“Safety and security of students and faculty is essential,” Kelly said.

The NASD Board of Education voted Oct. 23, 2017, to demolish the 63-year-old Lehigh Elementary School and construct a new elementary school.

The school board voted Nov. 6, 2017, to hire KCBA Architects.