Weatherly Borough Council moved closer to demolishing the annex to the Mrs. C.M. Schwab School, authorizing the borough manager to bid and award a contract.

Borough Manager Tracy Grover explained that the bid specifications are nearly complete, and once she receives them, the project will go out for bids.

Council’s action allows the project to progress between monthly meetings and get the building torn down as quickly as possible.

The borough secured $750,000 in grant funding to raze the annex building as part of the Schwab School housing project.

The borough recently received $500,000 in gaming funds toward the demolition, which is in addition to the $250,000 previously secured for the project.

Asbestos issues significantly increased the costs the borough previously anticipated, which is why additional funding was sought and granted.

The demolition is being done in conjunction with the revitalization project of the historic Schwab School, which will be converted into 12 two-bedroom apartments.

Razing the annex will allow for a new 16,000-square foot addition with 18-one-bedroom apartments.

The borough owns both buildings and will be leasing the property to the Lehigh Valley-based Alliance for Building Communities, which is taking on the more than $11 million project.

Last month, the borough agreed to extend a 45-year lease option with the nonprofit for additional 30 years to move the project forward.

The historic Schwab School has dominated the borough’s skyline for more than 125 years since opening as a school in 1903. It was a gift to the borough from steel magnate Charles Schwab in honor of his wife, Eurana, who came from Weatherly.

The building has sat dormant since ceasing to operate as a school in the 1990s.