Whitehall-Coplay Press

Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners reacted angrily at its meeting June 11 to reports that a quarry, owned by Coplay Aggregates, contains high levels of polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, and the township wasn’t informed for nearly three months.

Whitehall Township officials only found out about the contaminated fill June 5 when, after a meeting between Coplay Aggregates officials and Mayor Michael Harakal Jr., the township executive secretary received an email from the federal Environmental Protection Agency indicating a violation, Commissioner Joseph Marx Jr. said.

At the Whitehall-Coplay School Board meeting June 11, the board adopted the 2018-19 budget. The new budget is $70,386,888 and is an increase of 4.05 percent from the previous year.

The budget increases taxes by 0.6181 mill, bringing the total property tax rate for school taxes to 17.2108 mills. The increase is 3.73 percent and will cost the average homeowner an additional $106.53 annually.

The school budget has a provision that any savings during the year in excess of 7.5 percent is used to fund teacher pension commitments.

One of the largest topics of conversation at the Whitehall-Coplay Communities That Care (CTC) meeting, held May 18, was an overview of the recent Pennsylvania Youth Survey (PAYS) data.

Denise Continenza, CTC coordinator, handed out information on understanding the data and different uses for the information learned. The group is planning on extensively reviewing the 115-page report at the June meeting; however, some of the school district personnel have already begun analyzing the data.

JUNE

THURSDAY 14

Whitehall Township Environmental Advisory Council meets 7 p.m. in the township municipal building, 3219 MacArthur Road.

TUESDAY 19

Whitehall Township Zoning Hearing Board meets 7 p.m. at the municipal building, 3219 MacArthur Road.

WEDNESDAY 20

Whitehall Township Planning Commission holds a workshop meeting 6:30 p.m., followed by the regular meeting 7:30 p.m., in the public meeting room at the municipal building, 3219 MacArthur Road.

THURSDAY 21

At its workshop meeting June 5, Coplay Borough Council reviewed revisions to a proposal by DVS Enterprises for an apartment complex along the Ironton Rail Trail and across from an existing complex on Coplay Road and gave tentative approval.

Because the development is so close to the IRT, council expressed concern over a concrete bulkhead on the property and maintenance problems it may cause. A survey showed the bulkhead is borough property, but council was assured that DVS would make every effort to ensure the swale in the area would be properly maintained.

Plans for a new emergency services building in Whitehall Township are moving forward.

Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners heard a resolution to authorize the pre-design phase of the proposed building at its workshop meeting June 4. Commissioners will vote on the resolution at their June 11 meeting.