The Coplay Whitehall Sewer Authority (CWSA) awarded a contract for Ruch Street construction at its Oct. 17 meeting.

The $97,155 contract was awarded to Joao & Bradley with the next lowest bidder, Wexone, coming in at $107,495. The highest bid was $186,108.

CWSA Engineer Darryl Jenkins estimated the project will cost $125,000.

"All the potential winning bids were within the parameters we set out," he said.

Authority board member Joseph Marx asked Jenkins if Joao & Bradley might consider further reducing costs by eliminating the fees for mobilization. CWSA has a project in progress with the company.

Jenkins indicated the bid included mobilization costs, but he said the company won the bid because they were able to control costs due to their proximity to the site.

In other business, Jenkins said he reviewed plans for Allentown's waterfront improvement plan and identified discrepancies along with points of concern. The report was forwarded to the contractor.

The project is of interest to CWSA because present plans for Allentown's waterfront project identify projects that will infringe on CWSA's right-of-way.

Allentown previously issued a request for use capacity on CWSA's sewer lines in proximity to the development, but the board declined the request because it did not see a benefit to its customers.