On Sept. 19, executives of Lehigh and Northampton counties gave a combined presentation on the state of the counties. The event was sponsored by Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce.

Phillips Armstrong, Lehigh County executive, talked at length about the new voter ballot system, adding it was secure and offered a paper trail for voting. Some of the costs will be offset by state grants.

The voting system was enhanced, along with a call to make sure everyone is counted in the 2020 census. Armstrong contended the county was undercounted by 30 percent during the last census.

The other topic of concern in Lehigh County is completing part of the D&L Trail that winds through Allentown and Catasauqua and into Cementon. According to Armstrong, this is the only open gap that prevents completing the Freedom Trail from the Sept. 11 memorial, to the Pentagon, over to Shanksville and back to New York. The estimated cost for the trail runs over $1,000,000 a mile.

Armstrong released his proposed 2020 budget with increased taxes. Documents are publicly available on the county website. Armstrong said the tax program contains an increase, which is necessary now to prevent a bigger increase later.

Lamont McClure, Northampton County executive, emphasized the need for regionalism, claiming that will be the way of the future. There is some regional planning going on between municipalities now, but critics contend the further government moves away from the people it is designed to support, the less responsive it is.

Whitehall-Coplay School District Superintendent Dr. Lorie Hackett went over the increasing costs of the school district. Full-day kindergarten is now in place at WCSD albeit in temporary quarters.

Mary Lisicky, a member of Zephyr Pride Foundation, emphasized the need for more contributions to provide educational support to students.

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation representatives discussed the status of highway systems that will support the existing traffic load and the expected increase in truck traffic due to the projected increase in the number of warehouses under construction and being proposed.

Michael Guidon, senior civil engineer supervisor with PennDOT, also presented. Motorists driving through the Kopper Penny intersection on Route 329 in Allen Township can still expect traffic and repairs for the next year.

Christine Frey, project engineer with PennDOT, will supervise the next phase of widening Route 22, expanding the roadway from the bridge to Route 378. After that, progress may be up in the air due to cutbacks in funding.

John Harmonosky gave an overall perspective on area projects. Expanding Route 22 is expected to start in the middle of next year with completion scheduled for 2024.

The Cementon-Northampton Bridge is in the preliminary design and is moving forward.