Hellertown Borough Authority Administrator Glenn Higbie presented a report to borough council Monday in which he outlined several upcoming capital projects the HBA has planned.
Among them is replacing the roof on the authority’s Front Street garage at an estimated cost of $60,000.
Higbie said the authority will also be cleaning and relining some aged water lines, and he stressed that this work will be underway well before cold weather sets in.
Several years ago a similar project was interrupted by the onset of freezing weather in the fall, he noted.
This year the HBA will also repave many of its parking lots and roadways and switch from the use of chlorine gas to liquid sodium hypochlorite; an aquatic disinfectant Higbie said is safer.
A recent brush fire that burned acres of watershed property the authority owns in eastern Lower Saucon Township did not pose a risk to any buildings, he told council.
“Fires happen, and everything will regenerate eventually,” he said. “It’s just not going to look right for a while.”
Higbie apologized to residents for the inconvenience of fire hydrant flushing, which is currently taking place in parts of the borough, but noted that “it’s all for a good reason.”
Borough council president Tom Rieger complimented Higbie on his oversight of the HBA.
“You’re reinvesting a lot of money back into the system, and a lot of authorities can’t say the same right now,” he said.
