A scaled-back facilities project dominated Palmerton Area School District business in 2025 as the school board advanced a construction design centered on a two-story high school addition and a new district administration building.

By year’s end, the board had approved schematic designs, authorized engineering work, relocated district administrators to temporary offices and rejected broader grade realignment proposals that would have significantly expanded the cost and scope of construction.

The approved design includes a two-story addition to Palmerton Area High School that will house administrative offices and five new teaching spaces, along with an 11,000-square-foot district administration office building adjacent to the high school gymnasium. Earlier this year, district officials estimated the total cost of the work at approximately $14 million.

The project is expected to go out to bid at the end of January, with contracts expected to be awarded in April.

In April, the board voted 8-1 to authorize KCBA Architects to proceed with the building design and bid package for both components of the project.

Improving security at the high school was a central focus of the project. In July, the board unanimously approved a schematic design package presented by KCBA Architects, allowing the project to move into its design development phase.

Enhanced security

Jay Clough of KCBA said the new design relocates the high school’s administrative offices and main entrance to improve oversight of visitors.

“The administrators that run the high school will be moved from the front door area to the new addition on the other side of the building,” Clough said. “This allows them to see all the visitors coming and going during the normal school day.”

Clough said the new entrance design introduces multiple layers of controlled access.

“During a typical day to get into this high school, you have to pass through three locked entrances,” Clough said. “Much, much better. You will be seen.”

The high school addition includes a counselor suite, a nurse’s suite and flexible instructional space. The counselor suite features a dedicated waiting area, secretary and conference room.

“The counselor suite has its own secretary to greet you, a waiting area, a small conference room and two counselor offices,” Clough said. “That conference room can also serve as a future counselor’s office.”

The nurse’s suite will serve both the junior high school and high school and includes exam space and a direct connection to the counseling area.

“Many school districts have a strong relationship between the counseling and nursing offices,” Clough said. “A lot of counseling issues relate to health, drugs, alcohol, family issues, maybe even abuse.”

The top floor of the addition will contain five teaching spaces, including a family and consumer science classroom with kitchen facilities, traditional classrooms and a multi use instructional area.

“This wing will probably pick up some of the new programs you’re introducing,” Clough said. “We’re promoting flexibility and versatility so that students who may go on to higher education can get introduced to that type of environment.”

The second major component of the project is the new district administration building, which will replace offices previously housed on the third floor of the Parkside Education Center. District officials said the move opened up 7,700 square feet of classroom space for student use beginning in the 2025-26 school year.

Superintendent Angela Friebolin said the selected site for the administration building preserved future construction options.

“The proposed new office location, now slated for the west side of the high school gym instead of the back of the junior high school, would allow future construction access if a sixth-grade wing were ever added,” Friebolin said.

Clough said the administration building will include layered security features and a multipurpose room for school board meetings, training sessions and district events.

“You don’t build a room just for that,” Clough said. “You want to make sure you use it often.”

Exterior improvements, including new sidewalks and parking reconfigurations, are also part of the project.

“We’re not adding spaces; we’re moving them around,” Clough said. “There may be three or four extra spaces. Not a huge increase.”

District offices

To accommodate construction, the board approved a two-year lease for temporary district administration offices at 3295 Forest Inn Road at a cost of $3,800 per month beginning May 1, 2025. The lease can be terminated early if the space is no longer needed.

Earl Paules, who was board president in 2025, said the relocation would improve security at Parkside.

“This is going to make our schools right here safer right away,” Paules said. “Administration will be out of Parkside and nobody will be coming through here, no visitors, nothing interfering with anything that goes on here.”

While advancing the facilities project, the board also rejected broader grade realignment proposals. A motion to relocate sixth grade to the junior high school, which would have required additional construction estimated at $27 million, failed unanimously.

A separate motion to authorize planning for a K-6 elementary grade realignment also failed by unanimous vote.