Coplay Borough Council got an earful of the potential delays during its regular session June 13. Councilman Charles Sodl, along with council President Louis Bodish, grilled township Engineer Daniel Witczak on the status of Saylor Park. The borough received a grant from the state to complete a revamp of the area across from the Saylor Kilns.

Sodl’s questioning was specific; he wanted to know when the project would start and the expected completion date.

Like all projects that have government involvement, the regulatory process is laborious but not unexpected. According to Witczak, there is a laundry list of studies that need to be conducted, one of which is expected to take six to nine months.

“If we start now - and we are familiar with the studies, so we are preparing them now - we should have an approval at the end of the year,” he said.

Witczak anticipates letting contracts in the spring of 2018, so contractors would have the full construction season to complete the project.

“We could be done by the end of 2018,” he said.

Council wanted to see something started sooner. The project is an upgrade to the existing park.

“If there is any minor delay, we will be into 2019,” Sodl said.

Witczak indicated there was a possibility for delay, citing a geological assessment, which is a requirement.

“We will have a better handle on a completion date once the geological assessment is complete,” Witczak said.

One purposeful goal is to have the park completed in time for the borough’s 150-year celebration in 2019.

“It is critical that we have the park ready in 2019,” Councilman Stephen Burker said.

With such a long time frame for paperwork, it remains difficult to commit to a completion date. Witczak will keep council abreast of changes to the project’s time line. Council wants to be involved in the process.

“If we need to delay anything, we want to be a part of that decision. We absolutely need to have the basketball courts, the pavilion, parking lot and lights completed in June of 2019,” Burker said.

In a related matter, council will view, discuss and approve a required pollution reduction plan at its regular meeting July 18. The plan is part of a DEP program to reduce sediment from entering the Lehigh River.

Because of the holiday, council meetings for July are delayed one week. The workshop session will be July 11, and the regular meeting will be July 18. Part of the July 18 meeting will be dedicated to a public hearing on the pollution reduction plan.

Also at the meeting June 13, council approved hiring John David as a part-time police officer pending background checks. David was recommended by Police Chief Vincent Genovese.

Council also accepted the resignation of John Mullner from Coplay Borough Planning Commission.

Witczak reported to council that conditions on the south side of Front Street are still in a state of flux.

“The residents on the street have put up with a lot of inconvenience as we get our problems with soil conditions resolved. There are certain changes that the homeowners will pay for, and UGI will supply funds to offset their construction. As we get closer to finishing the project, we will have a better handle on how the costs are divided,” he said.

Improvements in a related infrastructure improvement on Hokendauqua Street are nearing completion. Letters will go out to homeowners to assess costs for the improvements. Bodish estimated costs for total completion at $160,000, with a portion of the expense paid by CWSA.

“We will probably see a bill around $78,000 for the borough,” he said.