Traditionally, the Coplay-Whitehall Sewer Authority reserves its April meeting for its annual report to its stakeholders, and the April 17 meeting was no exception.

John Keck, of SSM Group, reported on the consulting engineers accomplishments during the past year. The Coplay Creek Interceptor project was the largest project of its kind in the Lehigh Valley during 2013.

"There are punch list items remaining, but the project is substantially complete," Keck said.

Completion is on budget and ahead of schedule despite bad weather.

A new sewer line for Rauch Street was designed to eliminate maintenance problems and backups caused by faulty design of the original system.

Rauch Street gets a new paved roadway and the contractor is setting curbs and sidewalks to prepare the roadway for paving.

Keck also addressed SSM Group's efforts in overseeing the placement of piers for extending American Parkway into Allentown and the relocation of main sewer lines near the new Hokendauqua Bridge at Lehigh Street.

Board member Joseph Marx asked about problems on Essroc Road.

"The spalling was a quality control problem," said Keck. "The contractor is scheduled to make the repairs by the end of April."

SSM Group has been the authority's engineering firm for more than three decades.

Paul Pugielli, of Brown and Brown Insurance, gave his report on insurance claims.

"We expect to have some claims and your claims are in line with the expectations," he said.

Pugielli did recommend CWSA establish a worker's safety council that would conform to specific guidelines.

"The safety council, once established, would entitle you to a 5-percent discount on Workmen's Compensation Insurance," he said. The safety program needs to be in operation for six months before it could be used to reduce Workmen's Compensation Insurance. Board Chairman John Schreiner assigned the task to board member Joseph Bonshak, who chairs the safety committee.

Jeff Dobeck, of Buckno Lisicky & Company, PC, reviewed the Authority's books and gave an unqualified opinion.

In the accounting world, unqualified is defined as without qualification. According to Dobeck, the authority's net worth declined slightly as treatment costs for wastewater increased faster than revenues. Cash, however, was stable and Dobeck reported that adequate controls were in place within the authority's administration staff.

As a warning of an impending change, Dobeck reported that changes to municipal accounting in 2015 require projected pension shortfalls to be reported as a liability.

"This is not significant for CWSA. The shortfall is around $200,000," he said. Reporting pension shortfalls as a liability allows justification for rate increases.

In other business, the board approved establishing a new account with First Northern Trust and moving operational funds. The board and Whitehall Township Commissioners set a tentative date for May 19 to present findings on anticipated costs to extend public sewer to the northern tier of the township.