Winds of change swept through the Lehighton Area School District building landscape in 2016.

Lehighton's school board voted 8-1 for construction of a new building that will house all elementary school students in grades K-5 beginning in 2018.The four prime contracts for the school, located adjacent to the high school, totaled $33.04 million. Lehighton broke ground on Oct. 31.Currently, the district has four separate elementary schools; one in the borough and one each in Franklin, East Penn and Mahoning townships.According to the district's administration, it will look to sell or lease the old schools, all built in the 1950s.Lehighton expects to save at least $1.2 million per year through the consolidation.The 2015 general election shifted the majority opinion of the board to favoring renovations versus building a new school, but the makeup of the board changed on the first day of 2016 with the death of member William Hill.Following Hill's death, the remaining board members deadlocked 4-4 on many construction issues and how to replace Hill until Carbon County Judge Roger Nanovic named Dave Krause to the vacant seat in March.Krause is a former Lehighton board member who favored an elementary center.Later in the year, following public criticism over a lien for nonpayment of 2014 real estate taxes, then-president Hal Resh resigned from the board.Two other board members, Byron Arner and Marianne Dwyer followed suit.Larry Stern, Stacey Duerst and Duane Eidem, all in favor of the elementary center, were tabbed to replace them.Renovations to the middle and high schools continued in 2016 and are expected to wrap up next year.Work includes replacement of the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system in both schools with energy efficient water source heat pump systems, interior and exterior lighting improvements, building façade removal and replacement, and interior renovations.Palmerton also completed an HVAC project at its high school and continues to prepare for the start of a 13,420-square-foot addition to the existing junior high building, and renovation to the track and football field with a synthetic turf and drainage system.