NAZARETH, Pa. — Nazareth Area School Board on Tuesday approved a nearly $500,000 bid for a new elementary school parking lot.
The board awarded the $494,233 contract for a new lot at Floyd R. Shafer Elementary School to H&K Group Inc. of Skippack Township, Montgomery County.
The funds will come from the district's General Obligation Bond fund.
“As the building has grown in terms of staffing over the years, the parking has become limited for all the staff, as well as visitors. And we needed to address that with the construction of a new parking lot, which over the planning period this past year, we were able to do.”Nazareth Area Schools Chief Operating Officer Stuart C. Whiteleather
H&K held the low bid from the board’s last meeting on May 13, with its original figure hovering around $540,000, sans protective netting meant to guard against baseballs hitting vehicles.
Instead, the lot will be surrounded by a chain link fence, which officials said is more affordable.
However, even with the lower bid, additional engineering costs and fees could push the price point higher.
'Needed to address that'
Schools Chief Operating Officer Stuart C. Whiteleather cited growth in the district as a motivating factor for the new lot, in addition to easing congestion from on-street parking.
“As the building has grown in terms of staffing over the years, the parking has become limited for all the staff, as well as visitors," Whiteleather said.
"And we needed to address that with the construction of a new parking lot, which over the planning period this past year, we were able to do.”
According to Whiteleather, the district initially anticipated a figure in the ballpark of $600,000, with officials seeing some relief from H&K’s substantially lower cost.
Whiteleather said he hopes to see construction begin after the school year concludes, with a goal to finish the project before the start of the 2025-26 school year.
Previously, one board member, Elmo Frey Jr., offered another plan: to abandon the aforementioned Shafer lot in lieu of building in another location and shuttling staff to the school.
That alternative was not pursued.
