At council’s workshop meeting Aug. 7, Police Chief Vincent Genovese announced Coplay Borough had received a grant for Project Lifesaver. The program is designed to help local law enforcement track seniors who are impaired with dementia and prone to wander.

“Law enforcement identifies people to be a part of the program. They receive a bracelet that emits a specific frequency. We can track the frequency if they wander away from their home,” he said.

The department encourages families caring for seniors with dementia to register with the police department.

Once the details of the program are fully understood and a developed set of procedures is in place, the police department will release more details on the program.

In other business, council discussed how to handle bids for road repairs at Second and Chestnut Streets - more specifically, the substructure under the roadway. A recently passed borough ordinance calls for all road bases in the borough to be concrete. An option exists for parking areas along curbs to have a macadam base. The macadam base makes it easier for repairs to be made to underground utilities, which can be located along the curb.

Township Engineer Daniel Witczak, of Acela Engineering, asked that the road at Chestnut and Second streets be milled to determine the condition of the base. There are assistance monies tied to the project that require a quick decision. The borough has a bid in place, but the base bid does not meet the borough’s base requirements. Witczak will talk with the bidder to work out details.

Woes continue on Front Street. The road is usable but still requires repairs. The contractor is proposing patches in certain areas and guarantees the patches will be indistinguishable from the new pavement. Council appeared leery of the claim. Coplay Whitehall Sewer Authority is the prime administrator of the project and may be bound by a contract that allows the paving contractor to make the patch repairs. The repairs on Front Street are scheduled to begin Aug. 13.

The borough received bids for its Saylor Park project. The bids exceed the projected budget. The borough is inclined to reject the bids and rebid the project. Council’s goal is to have the park available for the borough’s 150th celebration in 2019. The bidding delay jeopardizes the schedule and compromises state funding the borough received for the park. Witczak will put together a new bid package deleting some of the requirements.

The borough debated the merits of a cellular tower contract with T-Mobile. The contract is up for renewal; the offer made reduces the monthly payment but offers a longer term. The borough receives $17,000 a year for the rental. It does risk losing the revenue because the new terms are $50 less per month.

Coplay was approached by Catasauqua to allow season pass holders from the Catasauqua pool to use the Coplay pool. The Catasauqua pool was severely damaged by flooding and will not open for the remainder of the season. After some consideration, Coplay polled council and there were no objections to the arrangement. Council will vote on the measure at its regular meeting Aug. 14. Coplay will ask that Catasauqua pay lifeguards that Coplay may use.

For those interested in the Coplay-Northampton Bridge progress, Genovese announced that beams for the Coplay portion of the bridge are scheduled for delivery during the week of Aug. 20.