A test at Franklin Elementary School, Northampton, has determined the building’s indoor air quality (IAQ) to be normal.

“Nothing came up. I’m fully confident we don’t have any problem at Franklin,” Northampton Area School District Director of Operations Jonathan Jenny said at the Dec. 16 board of education facilities committee meeting, held in the Northampton Area High School library conference room.

The IAQ test was done Nov. 27, according to Dr. Barbara A. Plohocki, owner/lead project manager at EnviraHealth Corporation in Center Valley, which did the test and presented a report to NASD.

“We sampled every room in the (Franklin) building,” Plohocki said at the Dec. 16 facilities committee meeting.

“We distributed [the Franklin air-quality report] to school directors and Franklin families,” NASD Superintendent of Schools Joseph S. Kovalchik said at the Dec. 16 facilities meeting.

Dale Wagner, who attended both the facilities meeting Nov. 18 and the school board meeting Dec. 2, said approximately 20-30 parents had concerns about respiratory problems with their children who attend Franklin.

Kovalchik said the Franklin building had a pipe leak in July. District maintenance and custodial departments, in collaboration with EnviraHealth, addressed the problem, Kovalchik said, adding EnviraHealth conducted an IAQ test in the library.

“Those results came back negative, which means the IAQ results were at normal levels,” Kovalchik reported.

At the Dec. 16 facilities meeting, Kovalchik said attendance at Franklin is at approximately 95%. EnviraHealth has been the district IAQ consultant for approximately 20 years.

In other business at the facilities meeting, Jenny presented an overview of district capital improvement projects, planned or underway, including the NAHS stage, security and safety grant for door-prop alarms and fences, NAHS boiler replacements, George Wolf Elementary School front driveway, Al Erdosy Stadium and Pete Schneider Gymnasium sound systems and a maintenance building walk-in freezer addition.

Jenny said the George Wolf Elementary HVAC project, for which a $5.7 million bid has been received, is expected to be on the agenda for consideration at the next school board meeting, set for 6:30 p.m. Jan. 13, 2025, in the NAHS auditorium, 1619 Laubach Ave.

Jenny is updating capital improvements per building at facilities committee meetings. Lehigh Elementary School, which opened for the 2021-22 school year, and Northampton Area Middle School, which opened for the 2015-16 school year, are in good condition.

“In the next 30 to 40 years, you’re not going to have to borrow a substantial amount of money,” Kovalchik said.

Kovalchik noted that in his 15 years as NASD superintendent, district capital reserves increased from approximately $6.5 million to approximately $22 million.

NASD Business Administrator Craig Neiman, who attended the Dec. 16 meeting, said for a district such as NASD, approximately “$20 million to $22 million is recommended” for capital reserves.

Neiman said NASD received “$2 million in earned interest last year. We’re in a positive-earning environment.”

School Director Joshua Harris, who is on the facilities committee, asked Jenny to estimate annual capital improvements costs.

“What would be an ideal yearly budget?” Harris asked.

“It’s probably $6 million to $7 million. On average, I’m thinking $5 million,” Jenny replied.

The seven options for Moore Elementary School are expected to be on the Jan. 13, 2025, school board meeting agenda. School directors voted 5-4 at the Dec. 2 board meeting to table the options.

Bethlehem Area School District purchased the former Factory LLC, 315 Columbia St., Bethlehem, as an alternative to expansion of Bethlehem Area Vocational-Technical School, 3300 Chester Ave., Bethlehem Township. NASD, BASD and Saucon Valley School District fund BAVTS. However, the Saucon board is disputing the amount of its financial obligation. The BAVTS agreement between NASD, BASD and SVSD ends in June 2025.