Two construction projects scheduled this summer in Palmerton Area School District are up in the air.

During a meeting of the school board Tuesday night, held via Zoom, directors authorized interim Superintendent Dr. Alan Lonoconus to try to postpone renovations to S.S. Palmer Elementary, and window and door installation at the high school.

“I feel given the state of the events we are going through, I’m not comfortable moving ahead with any of our construction projects,” board President Kathy Fallow said.

In February, a month before schools were shut down for the rest of the year in the wake of COVID-19, the board tapped Crabtree, Rohrbaugh and Associates to proceed with the final design and bidding for a project that would secure the front entrance to S.S. Palmer.

Palmer’s office suite would be moving down a floor from its current location on the second level, and the contractor would also be removing the large existing staircase that greets visitors upon entry to the building.

Jeff Straub, of Crabtree, estimated the entire Palmer vestibule project would cost $1.45 million.

The original timeline called for the project to begin in June and wrapped up by September.

Palmerton is replacing just over 150 windows in an energy savings project at the high school. Penn Builders Inc. was tapped for that job in February. The district had hoped to have the installation done in phases over the next two summers.

“If there is any way we can delay both projects, I’d like to start those conversations,” Fallow said Tuesday.

Lonoconus said he will contact The McClure Company, the firm overseeing both projects, to find out the next steps.

An oil tank replacement at Towamensing Elementary is moving forward as planned, because the wheels had been set in motion before the COVID-19 shutdown.

The board previously approved a bid from Bluestone Environmental Inc. for the fuel tank project at a cost of $187,804.

A 10,000-gallon aboveground double-walled tank, which will include leak protection, will replace the existing underground tank, which is 30 years old.

“That was underway prior to the school closure and it is essential to get that done for school operations next year,” Lonoconus said.