By Mark Rosman
Staff Writer
ALLENTOWN – The Borough Council has introduced an ordinance that appropriates $3,030,000 for significant upgrades to Allentown’s waste water treatment plant and authorizes the issuance of that amount in bonds to help finance the project.
The bond ordinance was introduced on Nov. 15 with affirmative votes from council President Wil Borkowski, Councilman Robert Strovinsky, Councilwoman Madeline Gavin, Councilwoman Johnna Stinemire and Councilman Rob Schmitt.
The ordinance will have a public hearing at the council’s meeting on Nov. 29. Residents may comment on the ordinance at that time and the council members may take action following the public hearing.
Officials said a representative of the borough’s engineering firm will be present at the public hearing to answer questions about the multi-million dollar project.
Mayor Greg Westfall said Allentown’s waste water treatment plant was built in 1968 and upgraded in the early 1990s. He said the plant “has not been and is currently not meeting state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) standards for several water quality parameters.”
The mayor said the operation of the plant and its compliance improved greatly when borough officials hired a new operator in January 2016, but he said the plant’s components are in need of significant upgrades.
Westfall said non-compliance with or no progress in working toward compliance with DEP regulations could result in fines of up to $50,000 per day being issued to Allentown.
He said portions of the existing plant will be reused in order to reduce the costs to ratepayers. The plant, which was flooded by post-tropical storm Irene in 2011, will be upgraded so that it will be in compliance with New Jersey’s Flood Hazard Act and with the Federal Emergency Management Agency 500-year flood event.
Westfall said the waste water treatment plant upgrade will take place at the existing plant off Breza Road. The current DEP discharge permit allows up to 238,000 gallons per day of treated waste water to be discharged into Doctors Creek, according to the mayor.
In other business at the Nov. 15 meeting, Joseph McGrath, Allentown’s code, housing and zoning officer, reported that progress is being made in having the owners of vacant properties make repairs to their properties.
Since coming on board several months ago, McGrath has assessed the status of vacant properties in the borough and said he has issued summonses in several instances.
He said that in most cases, the issuance of a summons and an appearance before a judge who threatens to issue a fine has motivated property owners to make repairs to their properties that borough officials initially sought.
“In code enforcement, the fines are not important, the repairs are important. We are making progress. It just takes a little time,” McGrath said.
Westfall and the council members thanked McGrath for his efforts to have property owners make repairs to blighted homes and properties.
Regarding a property on which certain issues are awaiting resolution, officials consented to allow McGrath to work with Borough Attorney Greg Cannon to address specific legal matters.
