Walking through the halls of Lehighton Area School District's middle and high schools last week, board members shared excited, but nervous looks.

Despite the open ceilings and classrooms filled with construction materials, administrators and project managers eased fears by telling the group that both buildings would be ready for the start of school.The nearly $26 million project includes the installation of a four-pipe central heat pump system at both buildings and will mark the first time middle school classrooms have felt the blast of air conditioning.In addition to a new mechanical system, a facade replacement is also part of the job."As with any project of this size, you're going to go through some hurdles when you do demolition," said Bob Halupa, Quandel Construction project manager. "We got through that and we're on track now to finish everything we need to finish before the start of school."While most districts start school before Labor Day, Lehighton has long planned its school calendar to include a post-holiday start in 2016, allowing for additional construction time.Energy savings has been the focal point of the project and the McClure Company, who was awarded the HVAC portion of the contract, has guaranteed the district $80,000 per year in utility savings."Just in the size of the boilers you can see a big difference," said Joe Hauser, Lehighton director of building and grounds.The project also includes interior and exterior lighting improvements, a roof replacement, and interior classroom renovations."I think people are going to be really surprised when they come in and see this," said board member Steve Holland.A fellow board member, Larry Stern, marveled at how school designs in general have progressed from having everything closed in to a more open concept.The board said security was paramount during the planning stages of the project and it's coming to fruition with new secure entrances at both buildings."The main idea is that we can have visitors be buzzed in to a secure area and if they're here to see the principal or athletic director, like a lot of our guests do, they don't even have to go into the main part of the school," Lehighton Superintendent Jonathan Cleaver said.Security upgrades go beyond the main entrance, however. North of the high school gymnasium will be a fitness center/wrestling room with its own entrance."It's a great idea because in the summer, students can come in and out of here and they don't have to go through the school. I really like the independent access," Stern said.Though students will return to the building after Labor Day, work will continue in non-classroom areas of the building.The middle school auditorium, for example, was strategically scheduled for the final phase.New seats will be installed, while the sound and lighting are improved."Everything is progressing nicely," Halupa said."The bulk of the work is taking place this summer."