By: Joanne Degnan – Staff Writer
ALLENTOWN – The Borough Council has introduced a bond ordinance that, if adopted, would make up to $250,000 available to cover the cost of future emergency repairs to the borough’s water treatment plant and water lines.
Mayor Stewart Fierstein said Monday that a series of water main breaks this past winter, a lightning strike at the Church Street water treatment plant in May, and the ongoing replacement of water services on three streets in the Lakeview development have nearly depleted the funds from the last bond issue.
The new bond ordinance, which was introduced at the Aug. 10 Borough Council meeting, essentially puts the financing in place to have funds available for future water system emergencies, Mayor Fierstein said.
"It’s not that we are undertaking a new project," Mayor Fierstein said. "Adopting the ordinance enables us to get a financial commitment that the bond funds are available to cover emergencies we cannot predict or budget for."
Under the ordinance, up to $237,500 in bonds and notes could be issued, with the borough providing $12,500 as a 5 percent cash down-payment. The bonds would not actually be sold until they are needed.
Mayor Fierstein said the borough has had more than its fair share of unforeseen breakdowns and water system emergencies lately.
"We had a lightning storm in May that took out one of two wells at the treatment plant," Mayor Fierstein said. "The insurance company said it was an act of God, so the borough had to pay for that, which was about $15,000."
There were also water main breaks during the winter on Breza Road and in the Timber Glen, Indian Run and Pondview developments, Mayor Fierstein said. The borough is also currently replacing the water service on Maiden Lane, Quinn Road and Farmer Drive in the Lakeview development where there is an ongoing road repaving project, he said. All of those repairs used up the funds authorized by the last bond issue, Mayor Fierstein said.
The public hearing and adoption vote on the new bond ordinance is tentatively scheduled for Sept. 14, Mayor Fierstein said.

