Alburtis Borough Council held its regular meeting Sept. 9, further discussing the final staging area for the proposed Verizon cell tower.

Primary concerns were the tower’s proximity to the existing baseball field and ordinance laws dictating “fall zones” relative to the height of the structure.

Although the monopole antenna will stand at a height of 125 feet, the tower is designed to collapse in case of calamity, resulting in an actual fall zone of 70 feet. Council is being cautious to erect the Verizon tower according to local ordinance. The proposed location of the cell tower is currently slightly left of center field.

Council members also voiced concerns regarding the closure and ongoing construction along Spring Creek Road. Proposed improvements include lane widening and the installation of traffic lights at the intersection of both Mertztown and Cogdon Hill roads. The Spring Creek bridge is not slated for rehabilitation as part of the current construction project, creating a veritable chokepoint for truck traffic. Replacement of the Spring Creek bridge would likely take place in three to five years and cost an estimated $3 million.

Discussion of the sewer capacity assurance and rehabilitation program continued. The program is a direct result of an Environmental Protection Agency compliance order following a survey of waste management and disposal at Kline’s Island in Allentown.

SCARP consists of a coalition of county and municipal authorities in the western Lehigh area, including the Borough of Alburtis, committed to keeping stormwater from seeping into sanitary sewer lines. Repairs are expected to begin in 2016 and completed circa 2025. The projected cost of the collective program is between $9 million and $13 million per year.

Local engineers are currently reviewing 15 viable alternatives that vary between replacing pumping stations, creating more sewer storage tanks and inflow and infiltration work to prevent stormwater seepage. Discussion of possible methods of payment will commence mid-to-late November.

Salisbury Township, which also utilizes the sewage treatment at Kline’s Island, is expected to increase its water and sewer rates $12 per month through the next fiscal year.

The Alburtis Post Office will formally allow snow emergency parking this winter season, providing six parking spaces in inclement weather.

Borough Council terminated Ordinance No. 531, effectively discontinuing two handicap parking spaces at 225 W. 2nd St, deeming the spaces unnecessary.