The relationship between the Coplay-Whitehall Sewer Authority and the City of Allentown has not improved since city officials visited Coplay Borough council in November 2012.

"Unfortunately there isn't a whole lot of good news to report," said CWSA Chairman John Schreiner, addressing borough council Tuesday night. "Since the city was here and made a presentation, again I must tell you absolutely nothing of what was promised to us has happened."

Allentown Solicitor Jerry Snyder and city Finance Director Gary Strathearn came before council Nov. 13 to apologize for communication gaps and to urge the borough not to pass a resolution opposing the city's plan to lease its wastewater treatment plant in order to raise funds to pay pension obligations.

Earlier that day, during a meeting with Schreiner, Coplay Council President Lou Bodish and Whitehall Mayor Edward D. Hozza Jr., Snyder and Strathearn promised answers which they have not delivered, according to Schreiner.

"At every twist and turn we've been left dangling in the wind. We get nothing," Schreiner said.

CWSA officials received a call Friday requesting their presence at a meeting.

"Just us," Schreiner said. "My immediate response is I feel very uncomfortable. We are a group of signatories. Not one. I don't want to meet singly. What's wrong with the rest of the group?"

The "signatories" are the municipal entities that send wastewater to Allentown for treatment. These include Coplay, Whitehall, Lower Macungie, Salisbury, South Whitehall and the Lehigh County Authority.

Schreiner said he learned later that Hozza had also been invited to the CWSA meeting. "But they made no overtures to Coplay."

CWSA officials also learned that a meeting had been scheduled with Lehigh County Authority, Lower Macungie and Salisbury.

"Three signatories, "Schreiner said. "They were going to meet with them at one time. But with us, separately. South Whitehall was not invited at all."

Then, Schreiner said, CWSA officials learned that all meetings with the signatories had been canceled.

Mayor Joseph Bundra suggested reaching out to the other signatories in order to join forces and present a united front against Allentown.

But Schreiner said not all of them feel the same way.

"I must point out that you had three of them willing to take a meeting as we were not," he said. "If they had called South Whitehall, South Whitehall would have told them the same thing we did."

Bundra said perhaps the other signatories were surprised by the turn of events as well.

In response to a question from Councilman Charles Sodl, Schreiner said he feels confident Allentown will honor the current agreement with its signatories even after a new plant operator takes over. The agreement mandates each signatory pay a percentage of the wastewater treatment costs in proportion to the amount of flow sent to the Allentown plant.

The problem is with the potential for increased costs.

"Some of the city's pipes are 100 years old," Schreiner said. "It's one thing when you're going to replace a pipe through a field. It's another when you've got to replace it in the street. The cost could be staggering."

Although the percentage each signatory pays would not change, the percentage would be taken of a much higher number.

Schreiner said a group is gathering signatures on a petition in order to put the question of selling or leasing the city's plant on the ballot for voters to decide. Schreiner hopes news of Coplay's dissatisfaction will cause Allentown residents to question what they've been told.

Allentown officials were not available at press time Wednesday morning.