At the March meeting of Coplay-Whitehall Sewer Authority, a presentation was made to look at using solar energy for the new monitoring station at Eberhart Road in Whitehall. CWSA Engineer Darryl Jenkins put out a bid request for the program, which is expected to save five figures in annual energy costs.

The authority received two bids for the project at its meeting April 20.

Diefenderfer Electric, which made the original proposal to the board, and its solar contractor submitted a bid of $194,000.

Bright Eye Solar came in well below that number with a bid of $139,800.

Board members were astonished at the difference between the two bids and asked Jenkins to verify the low bid to be sure it met all the specifications.

In other business, with the number of projects expected over the next few years, board member James Hahn suggested CWSA contract with Concord Public Finance to serve as a financial consultant.

“When we did the Coplay Creek interceptor, [Concord Public Finance was] able to get us a bridge loan to keep the financial process efficient. They did a good job for us and have a good reputation,” Hahn said.

The board will review the plan and make its recommendation.

The homeowner at 3833 Rosewood Lane asked Whitehall Township for permission to construct a fence in his backyard. CWSA General Manager David Harleman addressed the situation.

“The fence crosses the sewer line easement that we have,” he said, indicating to the board that CWSA has a procedure in place to deal with the situation.

“We have an agreement that allows us to get in there if we need to replace or repair the line,” Harleman said. “We would take down the fence, but we would not be responsible for repairing it or putting it back in place.”

The homeowner has a couple of options. According to Harleman, he could install some gates or add a removable section of fence. Either option would be satisfactory to the CWSA. The board approved the approach and will send its findings to Whitehall Township.

The board approved hiring Christine Ziegler as a part-time employee.

The board approved expanding hires for its summer program. It will bump up the paid internship to two hires for the coming summer.

Jenkins reported on the status of the Front Street project in Coplay.

“We seem to be over the area of bad soils. The contractor is back on track to get the project completed,” he said.

Jenkins reported at earlier meetings that problems with soil and compacted fill significantly delayed the project. The Borough of Coplay worked with the contractor to provide staging areas for equipment during the extended delay.

Northampton Borough Municipal Authority coordinated its effort to replace water lines that deteriorated in the poor soils.

Jenkins did not give an expected completion date.