Palmerton Area School District took a major step forward this week on a comprehensive facilities project officials say is aimed at improving safety, functionality and efficiency.

The school board unanimously approved a schematic design package Tuesday presented by KCBA Architects for a two-story addition to the high school and a new district administration office building.

Jay Clough of KCBA Architects said the firm has been working with the district since the spring to bring the project to this stage.

The total cost of the projects, which also includes outfitting the top floor of the Parkside Education Center for classroom space, was estimated earlier this year at $14 million. Palmerton officials said Tuesday there was no update on an estimated cost for the projects.

High school addition

The approved schematic design includes a new two-story addition to the high school that will house administrative offices and five new teaching spaces. A key focus of the design is improving safety and security on campus.

“The administrators that run the high school will be moved from the front door area to the new addition on the other side of the building (facing the parking lot nearest the junior high school entrance),” Clough said. “This allows them to see all the visitors coming and going during the normal school day.”

The project introduces three layers of security at the high school entrance, replacing what Clough described as poor existing visibility and vetting procedures. The new design incorporates a secure vestibule monitored by a receptionist or safety officer, an internal lobby and a final checkpoint before visitors gain access to administrative offices.

“During a typical day to get into this high school, you have to pass through three locked entrances,” Clough said. “Much, much better. You will be seen.”

The addition will also include a counselor suite, a nurse’s suite and flexible classroom space.

“The counselor suite has its own secretary to greet you, a waiting area, a small conference room and two counselor offices,” Clough said. “That conference room can also serve as a future counselor’s office.”

The nurse’s suite will serve both the junior high and high school and features two cots and an exam room similar to a family doctor’s office. A connecting door to the counseling suite allows for collaboration on student health and welfare issues.

“Many school districts have a strong relationship between the counseling and nursing offices,” Clough said. “A lot of counseling issues relate to health, drugs, alcohol, family issues, maybe even abuse.”

The top floor of the addition will contain five teaching spaces. One of the rooms is designed for family and consumer science with kitchen space and classroom seating. Two traditional classrooms are also included, Clough said, with designs emphasizing flexibility, technology and future-readiness.

“This wing will probably pick up some of the new programs you’re introducing,” he said. “We’re promoting flexibility and multiuse so that students who may go on to higher education can get introduced to that type of environment.”

A multiuse space for small group instruction, testing or one-on-one tutoring is also included and can be converted into a larger instructional space through the use of a glass partition.

“We’re trying to get the most bang for the buck,” Clough said. “One glass door buys you two classrooms.”

Admin building

The second major component of the project is a one-story, 11,000-square-foot district administration office building to be located in the lawn area off the high school gymnasium. The building will also emphasize layered security, featuring a secure vestibule and multiple internal checkpoints.

“If you don’t look like you belong there, you’re not going to get through the first set of doors,” Clough said. “Even if you do, you’ll have to be vetted at a second and then third level before reaching an administrator.”

The administration building will include a multipurpose room that will serve as the location for school board meetings and other district events and training sessions.

“You don’t build a room just for that (board meetings),” Clough said. “You want to make sure you use it often.”

Clough said the building will be designed with long-term use in mind, including extra offices for future growth and workspaces arranged around the perimeter to maximize access to daylight and efficiency. Interior spaces such as conference rooms, storage and work areas will occupy the center of the building.

Each department will have access to a shared workroom to reduce walking distance for tasks like copying and filing.

“We tried to put those functions that needed to get a lot of day-to-day traffic near the lobby,” Clough explained.

A direct connection between the new administration building and the high school will also be created to facilitate secure access between the two buildings.

“We have to maintain the exits out of the gym: These are the fire exits,” Clough said.

Exterior improvements to the campus are also included, such as a continuous sidewalk around the high school to improve pedestrian safety and a reconfiguration of parking areas. While some parking spaces will be relocated due to construction, the overall number of spots will remain similar, with a few additions for staff.

“We’re not adding spaces; we’re moving them around,” Clough said. “There may be three or four extra spaces. Not a huge increase.”

District administration has already moved out of its prior home on the third floor of the Parkside Education Center. It signed a two-year lease earlier this year for office space at 3295 Forest Inn Road at $3,800 per month.

What’s next?

The board’s vote to approve the schematic design now allows KCBA to begin the design development phase, which includes integrating structural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems into the building plans.

“It is so clean,” director Alyson Krawchuk said of the layout shown Tuesday. “It’s adaptable. It’s flexible. It’s very exciting.”