At its Feb. 13 meeting, Coplay council made a unanimous decision to appoint KCBA Architects to complete a feasibility study for a borough municipal complex at 1 Bridge St.

The cost for the study was set at $7,000.

“We need to get this rolling, so we have an idea of the cost for a new building. We can compare that to what we would need to do to update our existing municipal building and have it meet our needs,” Councilman Charles Sodl said.

Council authorized the solicitor to draw up a lease with Commitment to Family and Community (CFC) to allow the use of the social hall at the fire station for its events. The one-year lease rate was set at $500 per month, an increase from prior years.

Lehigh County Executive Phillips Armstrong attended the meeting. He has made a commitment to visit every municipality in the county.

“I’m here to show support for the boroughs and townships. I come from working in that environment, and I want to do a better job working with the boroughs and townships,” he said.

One of the thoughts he presented was that boroughs like Coplay miss out on grant money because they do not have the tools to put together an effective presentation to get grants.

“We want to form a partnership between the county and boroughs to get grants,” he said.

There may even be options to share portions of grants.

Councilman Stephen Burker can attest to Armstrong’s comments. Coplay received a significant grant for Saylor Park, but it took much research and effort on Burker’s part to get the grant. Most council members have limited time to spend tracking down the right contacts. It took Burker three attempts and years of work before a successful completion. Any assistance that can shortcut the process would be greatly appreciated, council members agreed.

Sodl commented on an apartment complex proposed by DVS Enterprises Inc. at 250 N. Second St. The development was part of a long discussion at the Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners meeting Feb. 12. A portion of the project crosses the Coplay-Whitehall municipal boundary. (See related story above.)

“What I want to do is to have our police chief and fire chief sit down with [Whitehall’s] police chief and fire chief to make sure we have the necessary procedures in place for emergency services,” Sodl said.

Because the property carries a Coplay address, the responsibility for initially responding to an emergency is with Coplay.

“We have a mutual aid agreement with Whitehall. They serve as our backup on any call we have,” he said.

Sodl said he discussed this tactic with Whitehall at the commissioners’ meeting.

“We have always had a good working relationship with Whitehall, and they are willing to sit down with us,” he said.

Regarding the ongoing Front Street project, CWSA, the contractor and public works met and agreed to a list of items that need to be addressed before the project is completed.