A more than half-a-million dollar project has been unveiled to control stormwater runoff in William H. Laubach Memorial Park in eastern Salisbury Township.

The project is seen as key to proceeding with the master plan for improvements at Laubach Park. The master plan includes Franko Farm Park.

The master plan was approved five years ago by township commissioners. Proceeding with the master plan was contingent on a hydrology study approved six years ago by commissioners.

Information about the proposed Laubach Park stormwater improvement project was presented at the Jan. 13 board of commissioners’ meeting workshop.

Commissioners reacted favorably to the presentation about the project, which is expected to be put out for bid. A vote on approval of the chosen bids may take place at the Feb. 10 or Feb. 24 commissioners’ meeting.

In the presentation, Salisbury Township Consulting Engineer David J. Tettemer and Alan R. Fornwalt, senior engineer, Keystone Consulting Engineers, Inc., reviewed the plans depicted on two engineering drawings displayed on an easel in the municipal building meeting room.

The project is to be undertaken in two phases at a cost estimated of $680,000, according to Tettemer.

Construction, which could begin in late March or early April, is expected to take six to eight weeks.

The project is not expected to interfere with Salisbury Youth Association activities in Laubach Park, which take place on the east side of the park.

“Laubach Park has had an issue of uncontrollable stormwater,” Fornwalt said at the start of the 30-minute presentation.

“A big part of it is to collect the water coming off Susquehanna Street,” Salisbury Township Director of Public Works James Levernier said.

“The next part should be to connect the pipes up to Susquehanna Street,” Levernier said.

Connecting pipes to the stormwater system along Susquehanna is not part of the project presented to commissioners.

As part of the project, as presented, a new pipe and collector system will be installed along Lehigh Avenue, explained Fornwalt, who said stormwater collector areas will be three basins for filtering and infiltration in the vicinity of the pond in Laubach Park, located on the west side of the park.

The collector pipe along Lehigh Avenue will be approximately 650-feet-long.

“Everything is ready to go and advertise for bidding,” Tettemer said.

Referring to stormwater runoff from Susquehanna, Tettemer said, “All that comes down through the park.

“The intention is to collect as much as possible and discharge into tributaries of Trout Creek,” Tettemer said.

“The intention is to direct it around the park into the creek,” Tettemer said, adding, “All we’re really doing is redirecting it [the stormwater runoff].”

“The intent is to collect the water and have it go into a storm basin,” Tettemer said.

“We are going to be putting them [the storm basins] around the pond,” Levernier said.

“Kids can still fish in the pond,” Tettemer said.

“This was originally going to be a bond project,” Salisbury Township Manager Cathy Bonaskiewich said.

Salisbury Township Director of Finance Paul Ziegenfus said the township has the funds to finance the project.

“The bathrooms were a big improvement, and now this,” township board of commissioners President Deb Brinton said enthusiastically.

Laubach Park is south of East Susquehanna Street and Lehigh Mountain and north of East Emmaus Avenue and South Mountain. Lehigh Avenue is along the north boundary of the park. Fairview Avenue is along the west boundary of the park. Private residences are along the south and east boundaries of the park.

The Master Site Development Plan for the 14.25-acre Laubach Park, Lehigh and Fairview avenues, and the 93.72-acre Franko Farm Park, Black River Road, which called for an estimated $5 million in improvements, was approved 5-0 by commissioners at the Jan. 26, 2017, meeting.

The master plan was drawn up by Urban Research & Development Corp., Bethlehem, consultant for the plan.

A $32,000 hydrology study for Laubach Park by Gilmore & Associates, Inc. was approved 4-0 by commissioners at the Dec. 8, 2016, meeting.

During public hearings for the Laubach Park master plan, residents in the vicinity of Laubach Park complained about runoff problems around the park, which contains a pond, a creek and a flood plain.

A rough estimate for improvements to Laubach Park is $3 million and for Franko Farm Park, it is $1.7 million.

Construction for improvements to Laubach Park and Franko Farm Park was to have begun in 2018 or 2019.

The 22-member Laubach Park Master Site Plan Steering Committee met nearly every month, starting with a tour of Laubach Park July 20, 2015, for a total of 12 meetings.

Members of the committee included Salisbury Township Recreation Director Genny Baillie, former board of commissioners Vice President Robert Martucci Jr. and Brinton.

The 115-page master plan booklet includes a recap of public participation in the master plan; information about township parks; sites, facilities and activities analysis; goals for parks improvements; design considerations, process and costs, maintenance and operating costs; photographs and maps.

In the Laubach Park plan, a parking lot on the north side of the park would be eliminated to make way for an inclusive playground and a pickleball court. There would be 37 on-street parking spaces created along Lehigh Avenue, with curbing and sidewalks.

The Salisbury Youth Association uses Laubach Park extensively for practice and games. The consensus at the time of the plan was that SYA needs more fields.

The plan calls for moving tennis courts from Laubach Park to Franko Farm Park, removing a softball field, relocating basketball courts closer to Lehigh Avenue, shifting the baseball field and relocating the football field.

The Laubach Park plan would add a 0.6-mile perimeter pathway, plant native trees and restore riparian buffers around the pond and along the creek.

A pavilion would be built closer to Lehigh Avenue.

Restrooms, a concession stand and a storage shed would be built. The plan states Laubach Park restrooms do not comply with Americans with Disabilities Act regulations.

The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources approved a $26,700 Community Conservation Partnership Program Grant for the Laubach Park Master Plan and Recreation Connections Project. The grant was matched with an equal amount from the township for the $55,400 project, which was the cost of the master plan.

The unveiling of the Laubach Park and Franko Farm Park Master Plan at the April 18, 2016, township meeting turned into a forum about stormwater runoff complaints in eastern Salisbury.

More than 50 persons packed the meeting room of the township municipal building, including an estimated 35 residents who live in the vicinity of Laubach Park.

The bulk of the questions and concerns revolved around what residents said are existing runoff problems, especially along Brook Avenue, a north-south street along the east side of Laubach Park.

Improvements to Lindberg Park in western Salisbury Township, as part of its master plan, were completed in 2019.

The Salisbury Township Board of Commissioners is next scheduled to meet 7 p.m. Jan. 27, in the meeting room of the municipal building, 2900 S. Pike Ave.