Upper Perkiomen's plan to remove asbestos from the high school is nearly complete. Last week, the school board awarded three contracts for the abatement project at a total cost of $1.563 million.

            On April 10, the members voted to hire a Pennsburg company to serve as the general contractor. They approved a $1.330 million base bid from Gordon H. Baver, Inc., located on Eighth Street in the borough.

            The contract includes two alternates that could increase the cost. One includes work around ceiling grids for an additional $147,000. The other adds $17,300 for the removal of embedded asbestos under an overhanging arch, balcony, or overhanging eaves of the cafeteria, according to the meeting agenda language.

            R.J. Electric, of Douglass Township, will serve as the project's electrical contractor. The board approved a bid from the company for $180,000.

            John G. Membrino, a Hereford contractor, will serve as the plumbing contractor. He will be paid $53,012.

            According to Superintendent Allyn Roche, the board must also approve a fourth contract regarding furniture and casework inside the building. He said the goal is to get a bid for the work on a meeting agenda as soon as possible.

            "That's the missing piece," Roche said after the meeting.

            Substantial completion of the project is expected by Aug. 15. Work is expected to commence soon after the current school year ends.

            According to the superintendent, starting the 2025-26 school year on time and in person for students is the "No. 1 mantra." Roche said previously that the start of school could be pushed past Labor Day if the work is not completed on time.

            According to the superintendent, starting classes online is the last resort. During a student listening session, the superintendent learned of a rumor that the administration had already committed to online classes. 

            "Starting classes online would be a last resort," Roche said during the meeting.

            In September, the board voted to approve an award from the Public School Environmental Repairs Program Grant worth $495,979. The district is prepared to spend the remaining portion of the total cost, according to JP Prego, chair of the board's facilities committee. The grant requires a 50/50 match.

            An annual inspection of each of the school's buildings is required by law, according to Assistant Superintendent Andrea Farina.

            Administrators plan on removing the material, described by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration, as a group of naturally occurring minerals resistant to heat and corrosion.  It has been used in products such as insulation for pipes, floor tiles, building materials and in vehicle brakes and clutches.  It will be removed from several areas of the building, located at 2 Walt Road in Red Hill. It is not friable, defined as easily broken into small fragments or reduced to powder.

            David Livengood, administrative director of the Western Montgomery County Technical Career Center, appeared before the board to discuss the facility's budget for the upcoming school year. He asked the members to contribute an additional $247,318, a 9.94 percent increase.

            The center is requesting the funding hike due to an increase in enrollment from the district. Livengood's presentation identifies Upper Perkiomen as delivering 39.21 percent of the students, according to the current five-year average. It lists Spring-Ford at 37.14 percent and Pottsgrove at 23.65 percent.