Quandel Construction Group will be spending an extra time overseeing Lehighton Area School District’s building projects.

The school board on Monday night unanimously approved a contract extension with Quandel, securing its services through May 2018.Officials from Quandel have been on site at Lehighton acting as a construction management firm for renovations at the middle and high schools, and the construction of a new K-5 elementary center.It also managed a multipurpose stadium project in the district.The board approved the initial 22-month contract with Quandel in December 2014 at a cost not to exceed $802,000.Quandel will receive an additional $169,664 as a result of the contract extension.“There have been some delays that shifted the whole schedule for the elementary center,” said Karl Kauffman, representing Quandel. “The project also grew in size and scope. What we have basically done with the extension is thrown in two additional months of service at no cost to cover some time.”The extension will allow Quandel to make sure all punch-list items are complete for the elementary center and that the building is ready for district occupancy.Per the current schedule, the building would open for the 2018-19 school year.Prior to the vote, Kauffman gave some examples of the services rendered by Quandel over the past two years.“When the elementary project grew from 145,000 square feet to 167,000 square feet, we came back with $3 million worth of changes to offset that cost,” he said. “The bids came in right near that $32.5 million mark that was projected from the start. At the high school, we changed the veneer with a $34,000 savings and suggested numerous other measures to help Lehighton meet its goals.”Board President Gloria Bowman said Quandel has been a great asset to the district, but questioned what would happen if for natural reasons beyond Lehighton’s control, the elementary center project would extend beyond May.Kauffman said the contract is very clear in spelling that out.“If our services are required beyond May, the contractor for the elementary project is responsible for our cost,” he said.There are certain situations that could put the district at risk, but even then it would be covered by insurance.“If there were a fire two months before the end of the project and it had to be restarted, that would be on the district but it would be a claim against your builder’s risk policy,” Kauffman said.Lehighton’s builder’s risk policy has a $15,000 deductible, according to Business Manager Brian Feick.In other business Monday, the board:• Approved payments of $1,323,889.87 for its four construction projects (elementary center, multipurpose stadium and middle and high school renovations).• Approved occupational tax refunds for Suzanne Oncheck and Steve Sensinger.• Approved the hiring of Jean Wieteszka, lunch time aide, assigned to Shull David Elementary, at $8.50/hour; and Jarryd Bodnar, part-time cleaner at $7.47/hour.• Accepted the resignation of Terry Hartman, part-time cleaner, effective Nov. 4.• Authorize the superintendent to hire district substitutes, once all required paperwork is reviewed and approved, during the 2016-17 school year.• Approved adjusting the substitute teacher rate for retired teachers who are currently receiving their retirement benefits from PSERS to $120 per day, effective Jan. 1, 2017.