Palmerton Area School District is considering several financial scenarios for a proposed $21 million renovation project.

Business manager Matt Sawarynski reviewed four financing options at a board of directors' workshop on Tuesday.The project would include expansion of the district's junior high school, complete with its own cafeteria and kitchen, a multipurpose turf field and air-conditioned classrooms.Superintendent Scot Engler said administration believes the best option would be to borrow $15 million, while restructuring its 2010A and 2012 series bonds.The district's annual debt service would be $1.787 million, which would represent an annual increase of about $160,000 over the course of 25 years. Total debt would be $44.5 million.However, Engler noted "there's another possible option we'll be looking into."Board President Tammy Recker said she favors the first option.Director Barry Scherer said that while he understands administration's preference for the first option, he isn't in favor of it."I'm opposed to it," Scherer said. "I'm just not in favor of increasing our annual debt service."Sawarynski said the district's current debt service is $1.650 million per year.Engler said the next step is to get the next set of numbers."We will bring that back to you after we get more numbers," Engler said.The board's next scheduled workshop is Aug. 4.But, Director Susan Debski said that's too long of a gap for the board to hold its next discussion on the matter."This is a huge undertaking," Debski said.Engler said there will likely be a board meeting in July.Much to his surprise, Engler said after the proposed project was initially rolled out, he received 15 phone calls, all of which were in support of it.Debski suggested the district conduct a presentation on the project.Engler said the district plans to update information on its website.The projectThe proposal calls for a $13 million junior high school expansion that would create a cafeteria solely for the junior high. Currently, the district runs grades seven through 12 lunches in its high school cafeteria. The district's options are limited for scheduling lunches and classes.Creation of a media center and television studio, new computer space and a series of offices are also listed in the project.A state-of-the-art multipurpose turf field would cost $2.4 million, and be located at the current football field and track site at the high school stadium.Bleachers would have to be added, and storm water and parking issues would have to be addressed.The project would install chillers and replace unit vent heaters at the high school, Towamensing Elementary School, and S.S. Palmer Elementary, and call for safety and security improvements districtwide."There are a lot of people that really do not know the number of students that use that field," Director Sherry Haas said. "I would really like the community to be informed of the number of students that partake and use that field."Engler said, "Truly, it's community-based, and they all have an opportunity in some capacity to benefit from it.""Our participation in extracurricular activities has increased," he said.Debski questioned whether the district will be faced with any other major improvements down the road.Joe Faenza, director of district facilities, said that after this project, most of the district's infrastructures and mechanicals should be good for about 25 years.TimelineIf the district approves the project, construction wouldn't take shape for about two years.In April, Michael Kelly, an architect with KCBA Architects of Hatfield, presented an anticipated timeline for the project.The design phase would be from July through November, with construction documents drawn from December through February 2016.Contracts could be bid between March-April 2016. Construction would begin in June or July 2017.The districtwide renovation project is part of the district's long-range facilities plan.In November, the board approved the transfer of $3 million from the district's general fund to its capital reserve fund.At that time Engler said the list of improvements were conceived through input from the community, faculty, administration, school board and the students.