A paving project near S.S. Palmer in Palmerton will cost just over $50,000 according to a contract approved by the school district Tuesday night.

Palmerton’s board of directors awarded the work for the parking lot improvement project to Bruce George Paving & Excavation Inc., at a cost of $50,727.35.

The lot is located to the west side of the school.

Scheduled to begin after the school year ends in June 2025, work is expected to be completed by July 31.

According to a discussion during the meeting, the project’s approval followed a competitive bidding process involving six companies. The bids ranged from $50,000 to $80,000, Facilities Director Joe Faenza said, with Bruce George Paving & Excavation Inc., was awarded the contract with the lowest bid, beating the next lowest bidder by over $10,000.

“Bruce George is awesome,” Board President Earl Paules said. “They did our tennis courts. They’re going to make sure it’s right.”

The scope of work includes pavement removal, subgrade compaction, installation of a superpave asphalt base course, pavement milling at work limits and adjacent to existing structures and inlets, an overlay of the entire parking lot with a superpave asphalt wearing course, sealing of all pavement joints with an approved joint sealer, and replacement of parking lot striping throughout the project area.

Paules acknowledged the potential for minimal additional costs.

“Because it is bid by tonnage, there could be a legitimate change order,” he said. “It might also require extra milling to improve the surface. That might be a little bit more, but it’s not going to be a lot of money.”

The board is also considering the removal of the fence around the parking lot as part of the project.

“We’re going to ask the contractor and see how much that will cost, and then we’ll go from there,” Paules said.

A meeting with the paving company, he added, is planned within the next week to address the details.