It's been quite a year for Coplay Mayor Joseph Bundra.

He had been mayor just two weeks when the Whitehall Area Chamber of Commerce hosted its first mayoral luncheon last year. At this year's luncheon Feb. 14, he had a year's worth of experience to share with chamber members.

Among the challenges the borough faced was Hurricane Sandy, which left 70 percent of borough residents without power for at least two days, he said.

Then, on the coldest day of the year, UGI experienced an equipment failure that left 1,030 without heat.

"This was something very unusual," Bundra said, explaining that UGI officials had to enter each home in order to shut off the gas before beginning repair work.

"And after they did their maintenance work, they had to go into each house again, turn the gas meters back on, go into each house and purge the lines," he said.

He thanked Whitehall Mayor Edward D. Hozza Jr. for his support during the incident, which also affected Whitehall residences located along the Coplay border.

Coplay also lost more than $160,000 in a streetlight contract gone wrong. At a news conference Jan. 31, Lehigh County District Attorney James Martin announced charges were being filed against two Lackawanna County men who were executives in the company Municipal Energy Managers Inc. According to a contract signed in April 2009, MEM was to negotiate the purchase of Coplay Borough's streetlights from PPL. The men allegedly took the money but did no work, according to the DA's office.

"It wasn't only Coplay," Bundra said. "If you recall in the paper, Bethlehem Township also got nailed by this group, too."

Coplay is also dealing with the affects of the Lehigh County reassessment which has resulted in hefty tax property increases.

For example, Bundra said, his property taxes have increased by more than $600 annually.

"I live in a small house. There's trailers bigger than my house," he said.

Despite the challenges, Coplay experienced a number of positive moments over the past year.

For example, Bundra said, he was "honored" to have been invited by Northampton Mayor Thomas Reenock to greet a group of visitors from Burgenland, Austria.

"This was a privilege to be with this group of people because their roots are right here," he said.

The group enjoyed themselves in Northampton and Coplay and were impressed with both communities, he said.

During the year, the Ironton Rail-Trail Oversight Commission successfully moved its restored, historic caboose from the Whitehall Parkway to the IRT trailhead in Stiles. The IRT is a project undertaken by three municipalities – Whitehall, Coplay and North Whitehall – and the group's success illustrates how municipalities can work well together, he said.

Coplay also enjoyed a successful Community Days event in August. The event benefits the nonprofit groups in the borough.

Bundra closed by quoting Colin Powell.

"Success is the result of preparing, hard work and learning from your failures."