Renovations to Northern Lehigh School District’s athletic field complex are ready to take shape on the near $2 million improvement project.

On an 8-0 vote, the school board on Monday approved the change order for the baseball and softball complex renovations to include softball outfield underdrain alternate, flagpole installation, and complete renovation of the softball outfield including regrading, sodding of softball and baseball outfields, and relocation of each field’s scoreboard, at an additional cost of $218,856.

Before the vote, Superintendent Dr. Matthew J. Link briefly alluded to changes to the baseball/softball complex renovations that were previously approved.

“I’m happy to share that as I came down Bulldog Lane early this (Monday) morning, the equipment was there, there were some gentlemen on-site already at 6:30 a.m. staking out the grounds and preparing for the massive renovation that we are supposed to do in that area,” Link said. “We spoke about this most recently at our buildings and grounds committee meeting, where the buildings and grounds committee supported it moving forward with the proposed changes to the initial renovation plans.”

Link noted there were representatives from the ELA Group, as well as LandTek Group, the two companies overseeing the project and guiding the district through it.

In June 2023, the board awarded the contract submitted by the LandTek Group for baseball and softball facility improvements utilizing the Equalis Group Cooperative Purchasing contract for the amount of $1,905,700, pending legal review.

In February 2023, the board approved the agreement with ELA Group Inc. to provide design, engineering and permitting services for renovation and new construction of the district baseball and softball complex, with a basic services fee of $80,000, with an optional additional services fee of $4,500 for design of the softball outfield renovations.

It was stated at the time the total project costs, including all construction, professional services fees, contingency and other soft costs was not to exceed $2,033,000, or at a cost not to exceed $2,170,000 with the optional softball outfield renovation as part of the final construction contract, as presented and pending legal review.