Borough engineer Jessica Rehrig updated the Bowmanstown council on the White Street guide rail project this week. She said the bids came back higher than expected. The lowest bid to replace the guide rail posts and install a steel guide rail was $28,000. The previous cable guide rail and two posts were knocked down when a vehicle crashed into them a few years ago.

Council Vice President Pam Leiby asked why the insurance company isn’t covering the project. Councilman Darren Thomas replied that the insurance company did provide a payment that was accepted by the council, but it is less than the bids.A couple council members suggested looking for other companies that could do the work and see if they can get a lower bid.Another council member asked why the guide rail can’t be replaced with cables instead of steel to lower the project cost.“The cables don’t meet the newest requirements,” Rehrig said.Councilman Norman Engle Jr. suggested that the council use funds budgeted for liquid fuels to help cover the cost of the project. The council decided to let the Streets Committee pursue finding other companies to make bids and agreed to use liquid fuel funds if needed.Rehrig also updated the council about a communication tower that Norfolk Southern Railway Company wants to install within its right of way. The tower would be used to provide positive train control, which allows the company to stop a train before certain accidents could occur, such as train-to-train collisions, derailments due to excessive speed or misaligned track switches.Norfolk Southern contacted the borough on Oct. 31 to tell it about the project. The tower would be 130 feet tall and of a lattice structure. The exact site hasn’t been determined, but it would be in the vicinity of the underpass that runs under Route 248 between Bowmanstown Diner and Lorenzo’s Pizza.Mayor William Ravert asked if there would be a fence around the tower.“That is a pedestrian walkway that goes through there and a borough right of way,” he said.Thomas said there may also be issues with sewer and water lines in that area.Borough solicitor James Preston recommended to Rehrig that she draft a letter expressing the borough’s concerns about the sewer and water lines and the walkway. Rehrig agreed to write the letter.The council also voted on whether or not to pursue a pay increase for the mayor and council. The increase would be $25, which would bring the pay up to $100 per month.The council approved the motion 3-4 to advertise the adoption of an ordinance to increase the pay for 2018.