Several change orders approved by Lehighton Area School District on Monday night will save the district $6,837 on its middle and high school renovations.

Roof revisions will more than offset a $44,225 expense to bring the two-hour fire rated walls at the high school up to code."This re-roofing alternative still provides the required energy performance and 20-year manufacturer's warranty," Superintendent Jonathan Cleaver said. "This is the area of the flat roofs on the middle school and high school. It is a system that goes directly over the roof. EPDM is an extremely durable synthetic rubber roofing membrane widely used in low-slope buildings."During renovations, crews discovered that the walls were never extended to the top of the building during the original construction in 1993."It's something that should have been caught during construction, but unfortunately it wasn't," Cleaver said during a board workshop in May.It is just one example, he said, of items not being done correctly at the start that will cost the district in the long run."I plan on presenting a list after the renovations are complete so we can tie a dollar amount to things not being completed to where they should have been years ago," Cleaver said. "It keeps elevating. Fortunately, Quandel Construction Group, our construction managers, have found ways to offset these costs."Lehighton also approved a revision to the high school auditorium elevations Monday at a cost of $25,963, and the replacement of glass wall at stair A118 with metal railing, which will cost $16,667.Renovations are ongoing at the middle and high schools, but district officials are adamant that classrooms will be ready when students return as scheduled Sept. 6."That is the plan," Cleaver said. "The buildings may not look ready, but they will be ready for students. The plastic on the windows is deceiving. There are actually windows in there, but the plastic is in place right now as another level of water penetration prevention while the project continues."According to Karl Kauffman of Quandel, renovations will continue on certain parts of the building after students return and will continue for about 9 or 10 months.Kauffman said 90 percent of flooring in the classroom areas at the middle school is complete, while about 60 percent of the science casework has been installed. Roof replacement at the building is also underway.Heating, ventilation and air conditioning rooftop units at the high school have been set, he added.