Payments for the Lehigh Avenue Stormwater Improvements Project have been made with the bulk of the work expected to be completed in August.

The latest work, including change orders, paid for by the Salisbury Township Board of Commissioners pertains to the paving of Lehigh Avenue, the east-west thoroughfare north of and adjacent to William H. Laubach Park.

Residents in the vicinity of Laubach Park have complained to commissioners about stormwater runoff affecting their properties.

The stormwater runoff also has impacted use of portions of the park, including playing fields used by the Salisbury Youth Association.

The project is seen as a first step toward possible fulfillment of the Laubach Park and Franko Farm Park Master Plan.

“Eventually, we would like to improve Laubach Park. But we have to do something about the water issues first,” board of commissioners President Debra Brinton said at the March 10 township meeting.

The change orders have to do with site grading, Salisbury Township Consulting Engineer David J. Tettemer of Keystone Consulting Engineers, Inc., told a reporter for The Press in answer to a question after the July 28 commissioners’ meeting.

“The work on the project is expected to be completed next month [August],” Tettemer said in response to another question from The Press reporter.

At the July 28 township meeting, commissioners voted 5-0 to approve the following motions for:

-Payment No. 3 of $92,544.11 to CMR Construction, Inc., for the Laubach Park Stormwater Improvements Project. Board of commissioners Vice President Rodney Conn made the motion, seconded by Commissioner Alok Patnaik, to bring the motion to a vote.

-Payment No. 1 of $112,302.08 to Columbia Excavating LLC for the Lehigh Avenue Stormwater Improvements Project. Patnaik made the motion, seconded by Commissioner Alex Karol, to bring the motion to a vote.

-Change Order No. 4 for a $35,804.33 increase to CMR Construction, Inc. for the Laubach Park Stormwater Improvements Project. Conn made the motion, seconded by Patnaik, to bring the motion to a vote. The contract was modified for an “under-drain to remediate base groundwater flow and work associated with old unknown drainage pipe,” according to the change order document.

-Motion Approving Change Order No. 5 for a $2,943.80 increase to CMR Construction, Inc., for the Laubach Park Stormwater Improvements Project. Conn made the motion, seconded by Patnaik, to bring the motion to a vote. The contract was modified to “adjust for final in installed quantities of bid tabulation items” for “soil material.”

The change orders motions were combined into one vote.

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 unveiling of the Laubach and Franko master plan at the April 18, 2016, township meeting included stormwater runoff complaints from residents who live in the vicinity of the park. More than 50 people filled the meeting room of the township municipal building, including an estimated 35 residents who live in the vicinity of Laubach Park, which has a pond, creek and flood plain.

Salisbury commissioners voted 5-0 at the Jan. 26, 2016, township meeting to accept the master site development plan for 14.25-acre Laubach Park and 93.72-acre Franko Farm Park, Black River Road. The master plan proposes an estimated $5 million in improvements for the Laubach and Franko parks.

Salisbury commissioners voted 4-0, with one commissioner absent at the Dec. 8, 2016, meeting to accept a $32,000 proposal from Gilmore & Associates, Inc. for a hydrology study for Laubach Park.

In other business at the July 28 meeting, commissioners voted 5-0 to approve a motion:

-To authorize the execution of stipulation of counsel for the Lehigh Pointe Senior Living, LLC Assessment Appeal. Conn made the motion, seconded by Commissioner Heather Lipkin, to bring the motion to a vote.

-To approve an ordinance repealing Ordinances No. 92 and No. 260 and Reinstating Ordinances No. 207 and No. 11-8-303. Conn made the motion, seconded by Karol, to bring the ordinance to a vote.

During the commissioners’ discussion, Lipkin said five applications have been received for vacancies on the Salisbury Township Environmental Advisory Council.

Lipkin is the commissioners’ EAC liaison.

“We have five applications. We welcome more applications,” Lipkin said.

The township website lists Jacquelyn Heiserman, 2nd Ward representative, whose term expires Jan. 1, 2023 and Ed Olearczyk, 5th Ward representative, whose term expires Jan. 1, 2024, as EAC members, in addition to Lipkin.

There was no workshop after the July 28 meeting.

Commissioners met in executive session after the July 28 meeting.

The Salisbury Township Board of Commissioners meets 7 p.m. Aug. 11 in the meeting room of the municipal building, 2900 S. Pike Ave.

The Salisbury Township Zoning Hearing Board Aug. 10 meeting is canceled.