The April 7 North Whitehall Township Board of Supervisors meeting began with three presentations.

The first to present was Lehigh County Executive Phillips Armstrong who referred to his visit as being “a kind of farewell tour.” He said when he ran eight years ago, he proposed visiting every community once a year.

Municipalities must upgrade to new radio frequencies mandated by the state, not the county. The county is offering to purchase the radios and allow municipalities to repay over five years with no interest. He said the township can buy the radios and if they pay the county back in five years they won’t have to pay interest.

There is bipartisan concern about potential federal tax law changes that could remove the tax-exempt status of municipal bonds, which would increase costs for local governments and taxpayers.

Plans are underway for the 250th anniversary of American independence, including a gala at DeSales University, a drone/firework show and potentially a new Liberty Bell replica. State Sen. Nick Miller, D-14th, is looking for funding for the bell. Municipalities are encouraged to participate.

Armstrong said the good news is the steel has arrived for construction at Cedarbrook Nursing Home in South Whitehall Township and a ceremony may be held when the final beam is installed.

Armstrong said he plans to stay active. He has been nominated to be second vice chair of the National Association of Regional Councils and he plans to continue to advocate for Lehigh County and be chair by 1927.

The next presentation was an update by John Carson of the Pelorus Group on the municipal building renovation. The project is moving swiftly, with much of the stonework completed and brickwork expected to begin shortly. Inside the new addition, drywall installation is nearly complete, with inspections and spackling scheduled in the coming weeks. Mechanical, electrical and building operations systems are being installed above the ceilings and restroom tiling is set to begin within the next two to three weeks.

Site work is also progressing, with footers for fence piers already in place. Despite some minor delays, the project remains on track for substantial completion by mid-June, slightly ahead of the original end-of-June deadline.

Financially, the renovation is in a strong position, currently projected to come in about $110,000 under budget. Contracts for IT, phone, security and audiovisual systems have been awarded, helping refine overall cost projections. Second-floor windows are expected to arrive by mid-May, while first-floor meeting room windows and exterior office doors are on order and scheduled for installation once the area is ready.

The township expressed confidence in the continued progress and praised the contractors for maintaining both schedule and budget targets.

Next Wade Knaster from HRG Engineering provided an updated presentation on the Bridge Asset Management and Capital Improvement Plan. The discussion focused on requested follow-ups from a prior meeting, including updated cost breakdowns and rehabilitation scheduling for township bridges. The plan now includes engineering and construction costs for the initial two bridges (NWT 6 and NWT 121), with three additional lower-cost bridges grouped into “Package One” to streamline costs.

Photos of current bridge conditions and proposed rehabilitation sites were added to the report to better inform the board. Replacement and rehab plans were discussed in detail, including bridge types — box culverts, aluminum arch and (CON/SPAN) structures and pipes used to suit different site needs. Estimated costs for these projects range from $53,000 to over $241,000, with efforts made to provide conservative estimates for better budget planning.

The presentation concluded with clarification of which bridges are included in the upcoming phases and an outline of a formal vote to adopt the bridge capital plan later in the evening’s agenda. Later there was a motion to adopt the Bridge Asset Management Plan which was unanimously approved.

Finally, there was a motion titled “Authorization to Execute Agreement of Sale – Farmland Preservation Stewart.” Mike Kukitz, director of grants, preservation and trails, explained, “The Stewart property at Scheidys Road and Clearview Road will remain in our Agricultural Security Area but it will also now be preserved. Being in ASA and having your property preserved are two different things. Being in an ASA provides participating farms/landowners benefits that help to protect their farming operations. Preservation, also known as a conservation easement, protects a farm/land from being developed in perpetuity through deed restrictions.”

A sales agreement has been drafted and the property owner has agreed to receive payment in three annual installments – an arrangement that eases the financial impact on both the county and the municipality. The proposal requests a three-year funding commitment from the township to preserve the three parcels under Pat Stewart. The payment schedule includes $49,744.50 in the first year, followed by $50,000 in each of the next two years.