Several issues Allentown will face in the near future have been described as the potential foundation of a new fiveyear plan for the municipality by Borough Council President Wil Borkowski.
The plan, which was discussed during the Feb. 3 council meeting, was described by Borkowski as a way to address key issues that are affecting the borough.
“The normal practice of a governing body is to develop a five-year plan … and look at your most critical issues, your maintenance issues. And you do that in alignment with your budget,” Borkowski said. “We are getting [residents’] input, and we have gotten input from council meetings about what the glaring, major priorities are.”
Borkowski, who took office in January, said many of Allentown’s issues could be solved by careful planning and cooperation among elected officials and residents.
“We are here not to change the process; we are trying to change things within the process by following state laws and experiences we have had,” he said.
One issue that officials will need to address is the continued ownership and upkeep of a local sewage treatment plant, he said.
“Our sewer plant is not functioning in the sense that it is not separating the solids from liquids. … And the total volume has tripled. That is reflected in our costs,” Borkowski said.
He said apparent inefficiencies in the sewer plant’s operation have caused financial problems that include increased sewer and water rates for residents. According to Borkowski, Allentown paid about $225,000 in sludge removal from the sewer treatment plant in 2014. In 2008, the borough “hauled out a third of that amount,” he said.
And those figures were not commensurate with the amount of service residents needed from the plant, he said.
“You may consider that maybe we use the plant more, but we actually used about 15 percent less water in 2014 than we did in 2008,” the council president said.
A five-year plan would also have to address abandoned structures in Allentown, according to Borkowski.
“If you live next to an abandoned structure, you are certainly not happy. I wouldn’t be happy. And I am not happy with even walking by them, and they are not near my house,” he said.
Generally, abandoned or foreclosed properties are owned by banks that take on the properties after homeowners can no longer pay their mortgage or loan, or choose not to make the payments. Abandoned properties become a problem for municipalities when they begin to deteriorate and become a safety hazard and a drag on local property values.
Officials in some municipalities have enacted laws that require banks and other entities to accept some level of responsibility for properties they acquire, but Borkowski did not say if Allentown would follow a similar path.
“This is really a stressful issue for people in this community,” he said.
Another issue Allentown will deal with is the planned revitalization of the borough’s streetscape.
Last year, officials outlined the first phase of a multiphase project that will focus on the sidewalks on Main Street between Waker Avenue and the bridge next to the Old Mill. The completed project will bring expanded parking, new sidewalks and crosswalks to the downtown area.
The primary concern related to that project and future projects involving borough roads is the safety of pedestrians, according to Borkowski.
Ultimately, any five-year plan would have to be properly funded, and Borkowski said the council members understand the fiscal needs of residents.
“Are we going to affect our residents, whether it is taxes or sewer fees or water fees? It is still coming out of your pocket, and we have to balance all of that moving forward,” he said.
Contact Andrew Martins at [email protected].