Coplay Whitehall Sewer Authority board members asked for a moment of silence during the April 18 meeting to pay tribute to the late Jeff Gerhard, the authority’s operations manager.

Gerhard had 40 years of service with CWSA and passed away suddenly earlier this month. He was instrumental in keeping the plant operating at peak efficiency, according to board members, who added his presence will be sorely missed.

Gerhard was a graduate of Whitehall High School, where he was a talented athlete inducted twice into the sports Hall of Fame. He coached baseball and football for Hokendauqua and Coplay youth groups. CWSA granted a $1,000 donation to Hokendauqua Park and Playground Association in his memory.

Board members considered two matters before discussing the annual review. The solar panel project approved last month ran into difficulty with poor soils. The contractor is concerned about the ability of the soils to support the panels. To correct the problem, the offending soils will be removed and either replaced or the footings will be redesigned. Authority Engineer Darryl Jenkins estimates the project will be delayed less than a month.

Lehigh County Authority asked CWSA to relinquish some of its allocated capacity. Wastewater is treated at the Allentown plant managed by LCA. Board members voted unanimously to keep the existing allocated capacity.

The April meeting of the board is an annual review of its operations. The consensus of those monitoring CWSA is that the performance is exceptional.

John Barry, of Brown and Brown, the authority’s insurance carrier, commented on the continued improvements.

“Workmen’s compensation cost is trending down. The result is a 15.5-percent decline in costs. Claims are down over the past three years. The value of property owned by CWSA was increased by 2.4 percent based on a yearly appraisal,” he said.

According to Barry, the market for insurance remains soft in part because of investment gains and lower claims.

For those unfamiliar with insurance pricing, premiums paid to insurance carriers are used to pay claims. Any excess premiums are invested. The profits from the investments are used to reduce premium payments. A safe workforce in a booming economy keeps insurance rates low.

Jeff Dobeck, of Buckno Lisicky & Company, reported an unmodified audit of the financial books. An unmodified opinion means that no errors were detected in the books.

“The authority has $29.7 million in assets and sufficient cash reserves,” he said.

A sewer rate increase, the first since 2013, kept the cash position stable. The biggest liability is an $8.1 million loan that will extend out to 2035.

Pension liability is a concern across most government agencies. CWSA is in a good position. The pension fund is 98-percent funded.

Dobeck noted new leasing standards are to be implemented, but that should not affect the authority.

Attorney John Stover reported there are no open litigation cases pending.

Easements were obtained for CWSA mainlines running through Allentown’s waterfront redevelopment project. There was a danger that the lines would need to be relocated for the project.

The new McDonald’s restaurant on MacArthur Road was completed and is served with public sewer and water. The lines were extended and easements secured over the past two years.

Stover is retiring after 32 years of service with CWSA.

“We want to acknowledge your years of service to this board and the authority,” Chairman John Schreiner said.

Jenkins noted rainstorms in 2018 tested the sewer system.

“The infrastructure investments made by the authority paid off with no overflows in the system during 2018,” he said.

Jenkins cited the end of the Environmental Protection Agency administrative order as an accomplishment. The authority was under an EPA mandate for 10 years. The order ended as a result of efforts to control infiltration and inflow into the system.

Future projects include public sewer to the Prospect/Summit streets area. The planning is underway, and projects are expected to begin this year.