NL to borrow up to $15.5M for upgrades

Northern Lehigh School District is forging ahead with a near $12 million facility improvement project.

On a unanimous vote, the school board on Monday agreed to adopt a resolution, authorizing up to $15.5 million of general obligation notes to fund various capital projects.

The resolution means the district will incur nonelectoral debt of $15.5 million to refund all or a portion of the district’s outstanding general obligation bonds and undertake capital projects including energy savings, roofing and other improvements to various public school buildings and facilities.

Energy savings project

Also on Monday, the board approved the final contract with the McClure Company for the Guaranteed Energy Savings Project at a cost not to exceed $11.74 million.

Last month, the board approved the firm to complete all necessary planning and work for the project at a cost not to exceed $10,079,787.

Since then, the decision to install middle school drop ceilings, as well as high school science rooms/labs, raised the total for the project to $11.74 million.

Improvements will include middle school HVAC upgrades — unit ventilators; middle school HVAC upgrades — ducted tail vertical unit ventilators, middle school drop ceilings; high school HVAC upgrades; middle school roofing upgrades; high school roofing upgrades, 30-year; field house roofing upgrades, replacement, 30 years; districtwide LED lighting upgrades — interior/exterior; high school boiler, pumping and control upgrades, and high school science rooms/labs; Slatington Elementary School, Peters Elementary School, field house, and controls integration; and districtwide building envelope upgrades.

Also as part of the project, the board agreed to enter into the guaranteed energy savings agreement with McClure Company and authorized a notice to proceed agreement for expedited work for an August substantial completion.

The expedited work includes HVAC related engineering services necessary to secure permits; major equipment design and selection; roofing subcontractor purchase orders; major HVAC equipment purchase orders and submittal processing; and major subcontractor coordination.

As part of that, it will come with a guaranteed 20-year energy and operational savings of $5 million.

Major construction will occur from June through August, with the work being done before students returning to class for the start of the new school year.