More than double the original amount of acrylic resurfacer will be needed to finish a Palmerton Area High School tennis court resurfacing project and the district plans on finding out why.

The board gave an unofficial approval on Tuesday night to pay $5,200 for core sampling of asphalt materials used for the project despite a contractor’s request not to do so.

Bruce George Paving and Excavating Inc. told the district it would bare the nearly $24,000 cost for additional acrylic resurfacer deemed necessary because the asphalt laid down for the courts was sucking up extreme amounts of sealant.

“The project called for 19 barrels and now we’re looking at 43 barrels to be able to complete it,” Joe Faenza, PASD facilities director, said. “Bruce George Paving asked us to forego with the asphalt testing so as to not hold up the project and said they’ll cover the cost of the extra sealant. But I feel like by getting the samples tested, we would be doing our due diligence. It’s kind of like a $5,200 insurance policy.”

Certified Laboratories submitted the low bid for the core sampling, which will include tests to determine whether the aggregate was the proper size, has the proper compaction rate, etc.

Since the item was not on Tuesday’s agenda, the board will need to retroactively approve the expenditure at its Sept. 20 meeting.

Faenza said the district’s engineer did reach out to Novasurface, the manufacturer of the acrylic resurfacer and it was determined the proper sealer was specified for the project and applied correctly by Keystone Sports Construction.

“That ruled out the sealer as the problem,” Faenza said. “The engineer feels the issue is more with the asphalt itself. By looking at the asphalt, it appears to be too porous.”

The asphalt came from New Enterprise Stone and Lime Company, which also wanted the district to pay for core samples to be tested by a firm of their choosing.

“I don’t even understand why we are left holding the bag for the $5,200,” director Doris Zellers said. “This is the third time we are changing the price of the courts.”

Palmerton originally approved the $174,668.36 project in June. It called for milling of existing cracks at the courts and installation of a new wearing base.

Last month, the board agreed to $2,502.47 for additional Superpave wearing course tonnage to level out several spots.

“There were a couple hundred feet of cracks in the courts that were milled out and a 1.5-inch wearing course was put down,” Faenza said.

Results from the core samples, he added, should come back in around two weeks, leaving the project’s completion date up in the air.

“We are reaching a fine line with weather,” he said. “ I can’t guarantee they will be finished before winter kicks in. It can’t drop below 45 degrees at any point in order for work to progress.”