Construction of Upper Perkiomen's new middle school on Montgomery Avenue  in Upper Hanover remains 22 days behind schedule, according to Superintendent Alexis McGloin.

            On Monday night, McGloin announced during the school board's Facilities Committee meeting that a rainy summer has prevented workers from making up the time lost on the project on Montgomery Avenue during the winter.

            "We lost a lot of days in July," she said during the meeting at Hereford Elementary.  The situation will be reassessed in November, according to McGloin.

            The superintendent informed the committee that a representative from D'Huy Engineering Inc., the Bethlehem based company managing the project would appear at the next committee meeting to discuss the possibility of implementing "piecemeal" overtime on certain Saturdays. District officials hope to complete work on the school for sixth, seventh and eighth graders in time for the start of the 2019-20 school year.

            Crews have begun installing the roof over the three-story classroom portion of the school, according to John Sheeran, the district's Director of Facilities and Operations. McGloin informed the committee that workers have installed the exterior bricks on a wall facing the Christman property.  "It looks very good," she said.

            McGloin also said that a portion of a related sidewalk project on Montgomery Avenue, from the middle school to Walt Road, will be completed prior to the start of the current school year. According to the superintendent, an asphalt walking path from the new middle school to the adjacent fields will be finished after school starts.

            Principal Maureen Zavadel led the group of committee members, administrators and guests on a tour of the Hereford Elementary school, initially built in 1957 and renovated in 1975 and 2006.

            According to Zavadel, the school is expecting to educate approximately 900 students during the upcoming school year, almost exactly the same number as 2017-18.