Whitehall-Coplay School Board held a special meeting March 14 to discuss the new K-1 elementary school building and approve contractor bids.

Steve Behrens, of Breslin Architects, Allentown, presented the board with a diagram of the new building. The building will be approximately 97,000 square feet and two stories high, with enough space for 700 kindergarten and first-grade students. The building will include 14 kindergarten classrooms on the first floor and 14 first-grade classrooms on the second floor, along with four special education classrooms.

The building is composed of a two-story classroom wing and a shared-use facility wing; the wings are connected by a central lobby. It will be built where the current administration building is, next to Whitehall Township Public Library.

Gockley Elementary will become the new district office after the new elementary school is complete.

District office personnel will temporarily relocate to 5290 W. Coplay Road.

According to Whitehall-Coplay School District Superintendent Dr. Robert Steckel, the positioning of the new school will bring all of the school buildings around the central campus green, which will improve traffic patterns and allow for a safe drop-off of students. Steckel said it will be an improvement for both the campus and the community.

Jim Hanna, project manager at D’Huy Engineering, Bethlehem, said 28 contractors attended the pre-bid meeting held at Whitehall High School.

Bid opening occurred March 1, and the best bids were received from Skepton Construction, Pennsburg, general contractor; JBM Mechanical Inc., Nazareth, HVAC; Wind Gap Electric Inc., Wind Gap, electrical; Vision Mechanical Inc., West Reading, plumbing; and Johnson Controls, Allentown, controls contractor.

“These are all contractors that this school district knows,” Hanna said. “They’ve worked here before, they like working here and they gave us very competitive numbers, which is a real testament to working for the Whitehall- Coplay School District.”

Hanna added most of the pricing came in on budget.

Another part of the bidding process includes add and deduct alternates. Hanna referred to adds as a “wish list” and said deducts are a way to control costs.

According to Hanna, possible adds for work done by Skepton Construction include “brick that fits in better with the concept that Breslin designed,” a bid for synthetic turf for the playground, a bid to place sod in two areas and an unclassified excavation.

Deducts include an offer from Skepton to install a 30-year roof instead of a 20-year roof and the removal of some classroom cubbies.

Two potential add alternates include a stormwater irrigation system at the cost of $162,500 and testing and balancing by Air Balancing Engineers, Berwick, at the cost of $55,500.

The decisions on the two possible add alternates must be made by Oct. 1. The selected contractors are required to hold prices given on the bid.

The Act 34 estimate was approximately $40,285,800, and the total estimated budget came in at $39,938,435.

Notices of intent to award will be sent to contractors, who must then provide bonds, insurance, qualifications and any other documentation they may be required to provide per the contract, in order to ensure they meet all requirements and specifications. On March 28, notices to proceed will go out to contractors, and the project will officially begin.

There will be a groundbreaking ceremony 3 p.m. April 11. The building foundation is expected to be done in July, so much of the building can be constructed before winter.

The new elementary school will be ready for occupancy by June 2024, and all building and site work will be completed by August 2024. The conversion of Gockley Elementary to the new district office building will also begin June 2024 and will be completed in early 2025.

After reviewing the information provided, the board approved the resolution to accept bids and award contracts for the new elementary school.

The board approved the PlanCon G project accounting based on bids for the new elementary school project.

The board approved the PlanCon F post-bid opening certification.

Also approved was the resolution authorizing the issuance of general obligation bonds in the maximum amount of up to $30,000,000 in one or more series for purposes of financing the planning and construction of the new elementary school; the planning and renovation of Gockley into administrative offices; other capital improvements to WCSD facilities and school buildings; paying the costs and expenses related to the issuance of the bonds; and accepting the proposal of PFM Financial Advisors LLC for the purchase and sale of the bonds.