The Palmerton Area School District is moving ahead with the stadium improvement and track renovation project at the high school.

The board heard an update and saw schematics for the plans last week.The total cost of the district's projects is $21 million.The multipurpose track and stadium improvement project is estimated to be about $2.3 million. The addition to the junior high school for a cafeteria and kitchen solely for its use will be $13 million.The remaining projects include air conditioning systems for the junior high and both elementary schools, window replacements in the junior/senior high school, the high school gym floor and a junior high boiler.Timothy Sisock, a project manager with Barry Islett and Associates' office in Scranton, suggested getting one building permit instead of two. Once the permit is obtained, it will be effective for five years, which will give the school district time to address the other projects.The school district will also need to obtain a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit for stormwater management. Sisock said his company is planning to have an underground stormwater management system.These systems allow the land to be usable on top, instead of creating detention ponds.Sisock said it will take four to eight months to get the approval for land development.In the meantime, his company is going to put the project out to bid, so that when permission is granted construction can start.The school board asked for clarification on when the track project could begin and if football season would be disturbed.Sisock said that the work could begin as early as the winter of 2016 or spring of 2017, so the football season next fall will fine and work should be completed before the season in 2017.When it is finished, the site will have an eight-lane track, end zones and an asphalt pathway along the outside for people to walk and emergency vehicles to access the field if needed.School board member Josann Harry asked about the number of seats that the new-improved stadium would hold.Sisock said there will be 1,572 seats on the home team's side and 450 seats for the opposing team.Board member Barry Scherer asked about designated handicapped seating. Sisock said the entire design of the stadium improvements incorporates the rules set by the American with Disabilities Act.There will also be about 30 parking spots designated for the handicapped among the 600 parking spots available at the site.