The walls are going up at the new Lehigh Elementary School, for which the construction project is on schedule.

“Maybe we’ll be fortunate to be done on time,” Northampton Area School District Board of Education President David Gogel said.

“We will,“ said Henry Guarriello, senior project manager with D’Huy Engineering Inc.

The $35.7 million Lehigh Elementary is scheduled to open for classes in fall 2021.

“The Lehigh Elementary project is coming along very well. We’re on budget. We’re on schedule,” Guarriello said in his report to school directors and administrators at the Sept. 23 board meeting.

The first-story walls are erected for the two-story classroom wing. Second-floor construction began Sept. 23. Footers and foundation are being installed for the administration, gymnasium and cafeteria wing. The goal is to have the building enclosed by year’s end so interior work can continue.

“We’ve got a great team up there. We have a good set of contractors. They work well together,” Guarriello said after the Sept. 23 meeting.

The new building has 97,000 square feet, compared to 88,000 square feet for the old school. The kindergarten through fifth-grade student capacity is 800 students, compared to 510 students for the old school. Construction of the new building is to conclude in May 2021.

Guarriello also reported on roof replacement work at Col. John Siegfried Elementary School, completed in summer 2019, and the replacement of the older portion of the roof at Northampton Area High School.

During the public comment portion of the Sept. 23 meeting, a Chapman Borough resident urged the board and administration to hire a girls lacrosse team coach.

Tony Rogerson said his daughter, Gillian, an NAHS graduate now at Kutztown University, played on the lacrosse team when it was an NAHS club sport. His daughter, Eliza, a 10th-grader who has been playing lacrosse since the sixth grade, hopes to play for NAHS, which will field a league team for the first time in spring 2020.

Approximately 28 girls participated on the junior varsity and varsity club teams, which began five years ago.

“At this time, the girls do not have a coach,” Rogerson said of the girls lacrosse team.

“I fear our program is going to be put at a huge disadvantage if we don’t get a coach,” Rogerson said. “There are a lot of kids in the youth program who are going to come into the program.”

In response, NASD Superintendent of Schools Joseph S. Kovalchik said of the coaching job, “The position is posted.”

The job opened up in May or June.

“We look for multiple applications. We’re with you on this,” Kovalchik said to Rogerson. “Our goal is to get it done sooner rather than later.”

Geoffrey Chenworth was hired as head boys lacrosse coach for the 2019-20 school year at the Aug. 26 board meeting.

School Director Chuck Longacre announced the Northampton Chapter of the Pennsylvania Association for Gifted Education will hold a meet the gifted teacher night 6:30 p.m. Sept. 26 in the NAHS library.

Longacre announced Christian Stezelberger, an NAHS graduate and Northampton Community College student, placed first nationally in the Industry Motor Control contest of SkillsUSA, where he had also placed first in the state contest.

Kovalchik announced members of the 1955 and 1956 Konkrete Kids varsity football team will be inducted into the NAHS Hall of Fame at the Sept. 27 football game at Al Erdosy Memorial Stadium.

Kovalchik lauded Konkrete Kids varsity football player Tyrese Brandon on becoming NAHS’ all-time touchdown leader with 45. Brandon is closing in on two other NAHS records, with 272 career points and 2,135 rushing yards.

“That’s quite an accomplishment, if you know about the NAHS sports program, especially in football,” Kovalchik said.

In other business at the Sept. 23 meeting, school directors voted unanimously 9-0 to approve, at the recommendation of the administration:

• Resignation of Mary Smurda, special education instructional assistant, for retirement, effective Nov. 8

• Resignation of Ray Snyder for retirement, effective Nov. 7

• Temporary transfer of Edward Schoeneberger from middle shift custodian to head custodian at Northampton Area Middle School, effective Oct. 18 through Jan. 10, 2020

• Basemah Alkhouri, cafeteria monitor at NAHS, effective Sept. 24, at $13.07 per hour, without benefits

• Attendance of Dr. Lori Kuhns at the 2020 Foster Care Joint Statewide Conference, Pocono Manor, Oct. 16 and 17, at an approximate cost of $240.93, included in the 2019-20 budget

• Adoption of revised policies, effective Sept. 23: membership, attendance, employment of professional substitute employees, tax collection, interim taxes on real property, school bus discipline and bus conduct and safety code

• BerkOne to prepare and mail homestead applications for NASD in accordance with Act 72 of 2004 and Act 1 of 2006 at a cost of $0.3383 per mailing

• Creation of an NAHS activity account for Science Olympiad

• Accept, with appreciation, donation of fall and winter coats for students in need at George Wolf Elementary School, Borough Elementary Schools, Moore Elementary School, Lehigh Elementary School and NAMS from St. Nicholas Catholic Church’s Knights of Columbus, 1152 Oak Road, Berlinsville

• Accept, with appreciation, donation of boys and girls lacrosse uniforms and equipment from Northampton Area Youth Lacrosse Club

The Sept. 23 school board meeting was held in the NAHS cafeteria to coincide with a Konkrete Kids Educational Foundation event in the NAHS auditorium.

The board of education is next scheduled to meet 6:30 p.m. Oct. 14 in the meeting room of the administration building, 2014 Laubach Ave., Northampton.