Palmerton Area School District’s board of directors on Tuesday night voted 5-4 against proceeding with contracts totaling nearly $785,000 for the renovation of its weight room and wrestling facilities.

Directors Brandon Mazepa, Tammy Recker, Stacy Connell and MaryJo King cast votes in favor of moving forward, while Earl Paules, Danielle Paules, Erin Snyder, Audrey Larvey, and Sherry Haas voted against awarding the contracts.

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.

The renovation project includes a team locker room for wrestling and separate shower facilities for boys and girls, among other improvements. Drawings were revised to reduce the number of showers in each locker room from 7 to 5 because of a smaller water line than initially anticipated.

In May, the board accepted a proposal from the McClure Company for the HVAC portion, amounting to almost $215,000, with funding provided through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund grant.

CMG of Easton was the lone bidder on the general construction work.

Palmerton plans to use St. Luke’s University Health Network sponsorship money, totaling $40,000 per year for the past three years, to cover a portion of the renovation work. Aside from this and approximately $46,000 left over from an insurance payout after a vehicle accident at the Seventh Street field house, the project would be funded by the district’s capital reserve account, which currently holds a little over $2.2 million.

Larvey voiced her concerns about the project’s cost, saying, “my vote has everything to do with the money. We were really taken aback by the increase. We know prices go up, but this was monumental. We’re trying to be responsible with the taxpayers’ money.”

Despite the setback in the recent vote, the fate of the renovation project remains open for further deliberation, with the board considering potential cost reductions and alternative solutions to address the pressing needs of the school’s athletic facilities.

“This project is not dead,” Larvey said. “We still want to do something, but we want to do it in a fiscally responsible way.”

Recker expressed her support for the project while acknowledging the need for financial responsibility.

“The kids need this,” she said. “There was tons of planning involved. I think there are other ideas out there, and I’m open to those.”

Suggestions have already been thrown out for moving forward, including from board Vice President Earl Paules.

“I don’t quit on anything,” Paules said. “I think we can cut the price in half and still get everything we want if we move the showers and everything to the other end of the building.”

Connell highlighted the difficult nature of the decision before voting in favor of the contract. She emphasized the impact on taxpayers and the urgent need for repairs, saying, “we can’t continue the way we are going. It isn’t just about our female wrestlers; it is about all the sports teams who use that facility.”

The project’s postponement also raised concerns about Title IX compliance. Kris Schaible, parent of a Palmerton athlete and incoming school board member, questioned the implications of not moving forward with the renovations.

“This isn’t just about the girls wrestling team,” Schaible said. “I think that has become far too much of a focus. Many school boards have kicked the can down the road for the long-needed renovations to that building.”

Constance Banko, a district resident, urged the board to consider alternatives before proceeding with the project at its current cost.

“Maybe we can’t have everything we want and we have to settle for a little bit less,” Banko said. “We need to have balance between education and sports. Only so much people here can afford especially during these times. It has been very difficult.”