When school buses go to drop off students at the new Northampton Area Middle School this fall, they'll pull onto Ed Pany Drive.

A street sign honoring the retired Northampton Area High School educator, founder of the Atlas Cement Company Memorial Museum and Northampton Press columnist was unveiled Monday night.

By proclamation of school Director Jean Rundle, a classmate of Pany's at then Northampton High School, the name Stadium Drive has been changed to Ed Pany Drive in front of the middle school.

Northampton Area School District Superintendent Joseph Kovalchik presented Pany with a commemorative plaque that will be placed inside the new middle school.

Two other streets at the $80.7 million Middle School and Secondary Campus Renovation Project will be renamed Konkrete Kids Lane and Kids Way.

In other business at the April 27 meeting, school directors:

- Voted 9-0 to authorize the issuance of a General Obligation Note of $5.8 million for the purpose of refunding the district's General Obligation Bonds Series of 2010.

The district is expected to realize a savings of $117,000, with $115,000 of that in the 2015-16 budget. The school board could apply the savings to the budget's general operating fund or its contingency fund. Or the money could be applied to reducing the 2015-16 school tax hike from 2.27 percent to 2.05 percent.

Kovalchik and NASD Business Administrator Terry Leh, in their budget update at the April 13 board of education meeting, announced they lowered the tax hike to 1.11 mills, for a total of 50.00 mills, up from 48.89 mills, which is a 2.27-percent increase based on an average annual tax of $2,888.07, up from $2,823.95, which amounts to an increase of $64.12 annually, $5.34 monthly and $1.23 weekly.

If the savings is applied to reducing the tax increase, $6.36 could be shaved off the $64.12 increase, reducing it to $57.76.

The school board is expected to vote on the preliminary budget at its next meeting, 6:30 p.m. May 4, at the district administration building, 2014 Laubach Ave., Northampton.

- Voted 9-0 to authorize the issuance of General Obligation Bonds, Series 2015, in the amount of $12 million to fund a portion of the middle school project.

- Announced the board is sending a letter, dated April 28 and signed by school board President David Gogel, to Raymond Kempa, environmental group manager, Air Quality Program, Department of Environmental Protection, Wilkes-Barre, requesting a public hearing be held on a request by Northampton Generating Co., 1 Horwith Drive, Northampton and Allen Township, to increase the plant's lead emissions by a factor of about 20 times.

"Due to the proximity of the plant to Northampton Area High School, Northampton Area Middle School, Siegfried Elementary School and Franklin Elementary School, of approximately one mile, the district is concerned that the increase of lead emissions could be harmful to staff and students attending those district schools," states the letter.

- Viewed a PowerPoint presentation of photos of the middle school project and reviewed the timeline leading up to the school's opening.

"There's a whole lot of things we have to do in four months," Kovalchik said.

The timeline includes:

June 1 - School furniture arrives at new middle school;

June 11 - Pack up materials at old middle school;

June 12 - Last day for all activities in the existing middle school;

June 17 - "Selective demolition" of old middle school;

June 24 - Final day for administration at old middle school;

June 30 - Final day for moving all items from old middle school;

July 17 - "Substantial completion" of new middle school;

July 27 - Faculty and staff begin setting up at new middle school;

Aug. 10 - Middle school faculty parking lot ready;

Aug. 24 - Middle school teachers arrive; and

Aug. 31 - Middle school students arrive.

"We will be in the [Al Erdosy] stadium this fall," Kovalchik added.