Bids are being accepted for Palmerton oil tank project

An oil tank replacement project in Palmerton Area School District is officially out to bid, its facilities director told the school board at Tuesday night’s meeting.

Bids are due back Feb. 17, according to Joe Faenza, for a 10,000-gallon aboveground double-walled tank at Towamensing Elementary.

The tank, which will include leak protection, will replace the existing underground tank, which is 30 years old.

Faenza said the replacement is recommended purely based on its age of the tank and not any potential leaks.

“It’s at the end of its life span,” Faenza said at a previous meeting. “This new tank will allow us to monitor things a lot better with it being aboveground.”

Windows and secure entrance

Also on Tuesday, Faneza said walk-throughs had begun at the high school for a window replacement project and at S.S. Palmer Elementary for a planned secure entrance renovation.

One manufacturer has already toured the high school, he added, with another one scheduled to visit on Friday.

“We’re also reaching out to two additional manufacturers beyond that,” he told the board.

As for the Palmer project, a walk-through took place Monday with the McClure Company in order for an initial assessment to be completed, which will lead to a budget estimate.

Director Audrey Larvey encouraged Faneza to reach out to Palmer’s staff to get its opinions on the project and the layout of the building, noting that they are, “the people in the trenches.”

“If we get approval from the board in February and know this is going to move forward, then we’ll start discussions with the building principal and the staff to get their input on the footprint of the building,” Faenza said. “Right now, we’re mainly looking at getting the office area moved down to the ground floor.”

Audit

Palmerton approved its audit report Tuesday dated June 30, 2019, as presented by Gorman & Associates, P.C.

Business Manager Ryan Kish called it one of the best audits the district has had in 10-15 years.

“Our auditors are very strict and they go through every transaction,” he said. “Sometimes other auditors will just go through a sampling in other districts and that is what can lead to problems. There are a lot of people who play a part in the audit and they did a tremendous job this year.”