The first phase of classroom renovations at Lehighton Area Middle School will begin in 2-3 weeks, the school district’s construction management company reported this week.

Crews are currently setting up temporary classrooms in the building’s auditorium, said Karl Kauffman, of Quandel Construction.In September, the district approved $25.7 million in upgrades to its middle and high schools, centered around installation of a four-pipe central heat pump HVAC system.“We’re currently waiting for the permits to begin our first serious classroom renovation for the HVAC system,” Kauffman added. “The wood frame is completed and the drywall hung for the temporary classrooms in the auditorium. Workers have started doing the ceiling grids and adding light fixtures.”According to Lehighton’s buildings and ground supervisor Joe Hauser, the classrooms are approximately 850 square feet each.The McClure Company is installing the HVAC system for $7.72 million and guaranteeing the district over $80,000 per year in utility savings.Lehighton Superintendent Jonathan Cleaver said six classrooms, spanning several grade levels, will be temporarily relocated to the auditorium.“We insulated for sound and the classrooms all have drop ceilings in them,” Cleaver said. “Everything has already been reviewed once by Lehighton Borough’s code officer and we’ll have to get another approval before occupancy. From exit signs to fire alarms, it all needs to be there, even though it’s just temporary space. We have also readjusted security cameras that were mounted to the ceiling.”The auditorium’s stage will also be used for a temporary library, Hauser noted.Kauffman said the first wing of classrooms to be renovated would be in the back of the building toward where the modular classrooms are now located.At Monday night’s school board meeting, Cleaver said the district is working on creating a website specifically geared toward the construction projects.“It would give us a way to continually keep people informed of what is going on through pictures and status updates,” he said.