by Matt Chiappardi, Special Writer
ALLENTOWN — If borough officials get their wish, nearly $5 million of the $787 billion federal stimulus bill signed into law by President Barack Obama earlier this month will be making its way to Allentown.
More than half of that amount would head to sewer and water improvements, and close to $1 million is being eyed for downtown streetscape revitalization.
The borough is joining nearly every other municipality across the nation in a vie to grab some of the huge amount of money set to be quickly pumped into so-called “shovel-ready” projects to stimulate the economy.
Allentown officials recently identified 10 such projects, some on the radar for more than a decade, in a New Jersey League of Municipalities survey. They have a total price tag of about $4.8 million.
”We know they are shovel-ready because of the fact they are projects we’ve been trying to implement for a long time, but haven’t had the funding,” Mayor Stu Fierstein said.
One such project, he said, is “critical:” $1.7 million for an equipment upgrade for the wastewater treatment plant. That facility needs a slew of new equipment in order to maintain efficiency standards that will keep it in compliance with its state permit, Mayor Fierstein said.
”The last time (an upgrade) was done was in the early 1990s,” he said. “Processing equipment wears out. Pumps, mixers, all of that has to be upgraded.
The mayor said the borough just received its new state Department of Environmental Protection permit at the end of 2008. But DEP officials inspect the plant monthly to see if it meets efficiency standards, and the older equipment has lately been taxed from additional water flow, he added.
Sludge is costing the borough “three or four more times than it should,” Mayor Fierstein said.
Other projects on the list include:
• A combined $770,000 for upgrades to the borough’s water system such as new piping and an electrical control system. The mayor said the current system must be reset manually in the event of a power failure and that new pipes are required to cut down on leaks and breaks.
• $267,000 for stormwater system upgrades. The mayor said the borough’s stormwater drains need to be replaced and that, “it would be beyond the ability of the town to deal with an emergent situation.”
Another “shovel-ready” project is downtown streetscape improvements, with a price tag of $988,800.
That’s a project the mayor said would bring the borough’s downtown business area in line with the cosmetic plans the county has for the bridge and dam repair project.
The county is planning to adorn the Main Street bridge with a stone facade, and install new street lights after repairs are completed, Mayor Fierstein pointed out.
[vmo: easily cut: ]”The conceptual plan is to take the rest of the downtown business area and not have it be such a stark difference from where the bridge and mill are,” he said.
That dovetails into another one of the project expenditures that Mayor Fierstein also identified as crucial: $150,000 for downtown parking.
Currently, shoppers in the borough are stuck parking either on the street or in whatever small lots businesses may have in the back of their buildings.
The plan that needs stimulus dollars is to create a municipal parking lot behind the buildings on the eastern side of Main Street between Waker Street and Lakeview Drive, Mayor Fierstein said.
”As long as I’ve been mayor we’ve been trying to find parking downtown,” he said.
”The downtown area is suffering by not having the parking more suburban areas have in shopping centers and strip malls,” he added.
Borough parks are also being eyed.
Peter Sensi Park would be dismantled when the county builds a temporary bridge over Doctors Creek that would handle diverted traffic over the adjacent Main Street bridge during scheduled repairs, the mayor explained. Rebuilding the park would cost $594,000, an amount for which borough officials have been seeking grant money, he added.
The mayor also said the playground equipment in Sara Barnes Park was removed late last year because it didn’t comply with new state safety standards. He’s hoping the borough can receive $138,000 in federal money to replace it.
”I can’t begin to put a value on having that equipment within the only youth-oriented recreation area in town,” he said.
The remaining projects on the list are:
• $250,000 for sidewalks on Route 539, where many children walk to Allentown High School, the mayor said; and
• $228,000 for repairs to Indian Run Dam, which the mayor said is in need of as much attention as the Main Street bridge.
It’s not yet clear how many of the projects would qualify for federal stimulus money, nor is it certain how New Jersey’s portion of the aid package will be divided among municipalities.
According to a survey of about 200 of the state’s communities by the League of Municipalities, there are $1.03 billion worth of “shovel-ready” projects statewide.
”I have no idea how (the money) is going to be distributed or what the pecking order is going to be,” Mayor Fierstein said. “We’d be grateful for as much assistance as possible as it filters through the process.”

