Restoration of an existing roof system at Lehighton Area High School will cost the district $435,440, according to a motion passed by the school board at Monday night's workshop.

High school roof repairs were bid as an alternate in a larger building renovation project.Karl Kauffman of Quandel Construction Group, however, said the district would save around $250,000 to $300,000 by doing a recoating via the state's cooperative purchasing program, the Keystone Purchasing Network."Overall the roof has performed well, but over time as it ages, things can go wrong," said Alan Behnke, senior field adviser with Tremco Roofing. "There are some sporadic leaks over the seams right now. One of the issues is at the ridge cap, where the metal changes direction before going down the other side."Behnke said the project would consist of a restoration coating to the roof, which will be power washed to remove any environmental dirt accumulation.Each of the seams will also receive a reinforced urethane treatment.Snow guards are being replaced with a metal system that includes rails."The roof will be put in a condition where it is warrantied against leaks and the responsibility falls back on the manufacturer," Behnke said.The temperature needs to be 45 degrees and rising for the work to be completed.Behnke estimated that restoration would begin in the spring or summer of 2016.Tremco tested the roof twice to make sure the adhesion was proper."I brushed off surface dirt and applied a coating to the metal roof," Behnke said. "We let it set for two weeks and then tried to peel it off the roof. The strength is in the adhesion to the metal and that is what you want."Board President Gloria Bowman said the work is much needed."The board wants to make sure it is done properly," she said. "We want to prevent further problems."Tremco's warranty will run for 12 years, which includes two trips to Lehighton per year for routine maintenance."We'll catch anything before it becomes an eyesore," Behnke said.The only other board action during Monday's meeting involved disciplinary issues as it voted unanimously to expel two students.