“Back to the drawing board” was a common theme in 2023 for the Palmerton Area School District’s board of directors when it came to their most discussed building project; a wrestling room and weight room upgrade.

A tense February meeting kicked things off after director Earl Paules paid for a sign along Delaware Avenue campaigning against inclusion of a unisex bathroom as part of the project design, though architects said at the time such a space was required by building code.

According to district officials, renovations to the facility, which hasn’t seen a major update in over 20 years, have been driven by the need for a better building layout and more equitable locker room space as the popularity of girls’ wrestling continues to explode in Pennsylvania.

“We have boys who are wrestling and have to go across where people are working out in a towel to get back to their team room and that is a problem,” Board President Tammy Recker said in February. “We need to do better for our kids. We need to fix it. I respect everyone’s opinion, but we can’t have that situation.”

A plan calling for a team locker room for wrestling and separate shower facilities for boys and girls, with five showers each, was rejected 5-4 in September after bids came back totaling nearly $785,000.

The decision followed a significant increase in the estimated project cost, which originally stood at $375,000 for general construction and $120,000 for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning in early 2023.

Michelle Mozingo of ALLOY5 Architects said that a substantial part of the added cost resulted from the necessity to remove and replace a concrete floor slab in the facility.

“We knew it wouldn’t be in great shape, but we didn’t know the extent,” Mozingo said. “It made the most sense to look at the full slab being taken out and starting from scratch.”

Additionally, the district learned that two water heaters would be required to accommodate the five showers in both the boys and girls locker rooms.

In November, Palmerton unveiled a new design that flipped which end of the facility where the locker rooms and showers would be located.

“Just by redesigning and relocating things, we can give our athletes everything they need without adding on to the building,” Paules said.

The new plan, calling for two 209-square-foot locker rooms, two 112-square-foot restroom facilities off of the locker rooms, and two separate 83-square-foot restrooms.

Palmerton approved the revised drawing from ALLOY5 Architects of Bethlehem on Dec. 5.

“There is a sense of urgency to get this done,” Paules said. “We are losing a lot of time. We want to try to get this out to bid in January.”