A new front-runner has emerged in the race for a heating, ventilation and air conditioning contract at Lehighton Area School District's middle and high schools.

Shayne Homan, of the Wilkes-Barre-based McClure Company, told the school board during a workshop meeting Monday night that it could install a four-pipe central heat pump system as part of an energy savings contract, or ESCO, for $7.72 million.The amount is far less than the $11.48 for a decentralized water-source heat pump system.The heat pump is included in a $25 million renovation of the middle and high schools.Going with McClure would save the district over $80,000 per year in utility bills, according to Homan's projections. The energy savings are guaranteed for 20 years under an ESCO contract.Lehighton hopes to award an HVAC bid at its regular board meeting on Sept. 21."I like the proposal," board member Rocky Ahner said Monday night. "I'm sure I'll have questions by next week, but I like the track this is on."The system would work on a combination of gas and electric with gas being predominant through the winter months.Unlike the units currently in classrooms, the guts of this system would be located in the ceiling, Homan said."We really like that advantage," Superintendent Jonathan Cleaver said. "It gives us additional space in the classrooms and we're always looking for that. This is a system we could also potentially use in a new elementary center."Worth and Company of Pipersville also bid $7.8 million on a heat pump system, but they are not an ESCO vendor meaning Lehighton would not be guaranteed energy savings and any change orders during the project would be billed to the district.McClure would still guarantee the district it would achieve LEED Gold status, which would allow Lehighton to cash in on $2.4 million worth of Alternative and Clean Energy grants.As for a timeline, the system would not likely be in place until next school year."If we were to get the contract, it would be our preference to complete a redesign of the system and install it over the summer break," Homan said. "We don't want to phase in pockets over a longer period of time."The HVAC is just one of multiple components to the middle and high school projects. Lobar Inc. of Dillsburg was the lowest general construction bidder at $15.4 million for both projects and all alternates.Albarell Electric of Bethlehem was the lowest electrical contract bidder at $2.8 million.After low plumbing contract bidder Yanuzzi Inc. of Hazleton withdrew its bid due to a clerical error, Jay R. Reynolds of Willow Street, Pennsylvania, became the cheapest option at just over $1 million."If the district were to not choose any alternates, the total cost for both projects would be $24.2 million," said Karl Kauffmann of Quandel Construction, the firm that manages Lehighton's construction projects. The administration is recommending $1.58 million in project alternates.The board voted Monday night to pay for a nearly $578,000 fitness and wrestling room addition at the high school out of the district's fund balance and not the approximately $26 million in financing Lehighton already has in place for the two projects.Kaufmann and Andrew Blaydon, of EI Associates, feel confident that if McClure does get the HVAC contract, they can work well with the general construction, electrical and plumbing contractors."There are no conflicts that can't be worked out," Kaufmann said. "In some cases, it's just a matter of who cuts what opening. We can get through that."