Five bidders have submitted proposals to take over trash collection in Hanover Township.

At the township council meeting Feb. 15, the bids were opened.

The low bidder in this round was County Waste of PA, with a winning bid of $89,936.64. The company has a large number of customers in counties in the Pocono region. They are not as well known in this area as some of the other bidders.

Advanced Waste Disposal was the second lowest bidder.

The existing contract is held by JP Mascaro & Sons.

This is the second round of bidding for the contract.

The first round of bidding was disqualified because none of the bid packages met all the township’s mandatory requirements.

Solicitor Jackson Eaton will review the bid packages to see if the bidders are in compliance.

In other business, the council asked township Manager Sandra Pudliner to address a problem patch in the pavement on Troxell Street. The township code requires patched streets to be brought close to new standards following work by utility companies and others.

A water leak on Troxell was repaired by the Bethlehem Authority, but the patch does not meet standards.

Pudliner said in her initial contact, the authority representative indicated that they were not required to file for a permit or to have the patch inspected.

“In emergency situations, we have allowed utilities to make repairs and get the permit after the work is completed, but we have never waived the permit,” Pudliner said.

Kortze indicated Bethlehem is willing to mill the road so it is on a plane with the existing surface. Council members indicated they would only accept milling as a temporary solution. The council is looking for a repair that meets the ordinance.

Also, Eaton reported that work along Willowbrook Road will move into the township.

“All the necessary easements and documents are completed,” he said.

The steel framing for the FedEx warehouse is up, and work is underway for entrance and egress ramps to the project.

Also at the meeting, township resident Thomas Lerch asked the council to consider joining with Whitehall Township, whose commissioners recently passed a resolution calling for the state to control gerrymandering.

Gerrymandering is a process where state and congressional districts are adjusted to benefit a certain party. The tactic is used by both sides of the aisle to ensure that a given party wins a certain geographical area. Contested areas are often adjusted by the party winning the most recent election.