The Lehigh Elementary School project is on schedule despite having construction halted for nearly one month because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Everything was impacted by the shutdown. But with the efforts by the four primes, we were able to maintain the schedule. The impact was minimal,” said Christopher W, Haller, senior project manager, D’Huy Engineering Inc., the resident project engineer for Northampton Area School District.

“Primes” refers to school project primary construction contractors Skepton Construction Inc., general contractor; JBM Mechanical Inc., heating, ventilation and air conditioning; Myco Mechanical Inc., plumbing; and Cyprium Solutions Inc., electric.

Haller and Matthew Evans, D’Huy resident project engineer for the school project, said in a Sept. 21 conference call that the new Lehigh Elementary School is on track to be completed May 21, 2021.

The 97,000-square-foot school, situated on a bluff along Blue Mountain Road near Cherryville, Lehigh Township, is set to open for the 2021-22 school year, as planned.

“We’re coming down the final stretch,” said Haller as the fall/winter construction season commences. “The building is weather-tight. We’re focusing on getting the interiors done, the mechanical, electrical, plumbing and the interior finished.”

Purchase of furniture for classrooms, offices and other rooms is under consideration, Haller said, noting, “We’re working with the district right now.”

Demolition of the old Lehigh Elementary School, which is open for the 2020-21 school year, is to take place in spring 2022.

“One thing we’ve been working with the design team on is that we’ve been trying to work in some of the historical elements of Lehigh Township, to make this building a centerpiece of the area,” Evans said.

The old school bell at the entrance of Lehigh Elementary will be brought to the new building.

The project team includes KCBA Architects; Snyder Hoffman Associates Inc., mechanical consultant for designing electrical, mechanical and plumbing; and Terraform Engineering LLC, civil engineer for site design.

“It’s a very efficient, well-thought-out design,” Haller said.

Construction of the $35.7 million school stopped March 20 after Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf’s March 19 order halted non-life-sustaining businesses in the commonwealth. The site was secured and the building waterproofed.

Following March 27 guidance from the Pennsylvania Department of Education, phased construction resumed.

Limited work on the project, including roofing, window installation and masonry, began April 14. About 15-20 workers, “people who could work alone,” according to Evans, were on site.

A subsequent order from the governor’s office allowed construction projects to resume May 1.

NASD Superintendent of Schools Joseph S. Kovalchik reported at the May 18 board of education teleconference meeting that 22 to 45 workers were on site daily. He told school directors that guidelines set forth by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are followed.

“We’re actually going to employ an industrial hygienist,” Kovalchik said May 18. “That person will be on site every day to check the temperatures of every person coming onto the site.”

NASD hired a professional cleaning company for the construction site.

At the height of the summer construction season, approximately 70 workers were on site.

Workers follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Pennsylvania Department of Health and Pennsylvania Department of Education protocol, according to Kovalchik.

“We’re adhering to all the government protocol and regulations,” Haller said.

“The classroom wing is about 80 percent done,” Evans said.

This includes paint, floor finishes, casework and ceilings.

The building’s common areas, cafeteria, gymnasium, kitchen, boiler room and large group areas are roughed in and must be fitted out.

New asphalt was placed, and the parking lot was extended before the Aug. 31 start of the school year.

One of the project’s last phases is completing the bus loop and student drop-off.

COVID-19 concerns have not resulted in design changes, according to Haller.

Lehigh Elementary is among several school construction projects impacted by the COVID-19 shutdown. New school buildings are either in planning phases or underway in the districts of Whitehall-Coplay, Parkland, Allentown, Easton and Quakertown.

NASD Board of Education will next meet 6:30 p.m. Sept. 28 in the cafeteria of Northampton Area Middle School, 1617 Laubach Ave., Northampton. Face masks are required, social distancing is to be observed and local, state and federal COVID-19 protocols will be in effect.