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Walnutport receives $500,000 in grants

Mike Wentz, the Grant/Emergency Management Coordinator for Walnutport, announced that borough was approved for more than $500,000 in grants for several projects.

“The Grant Fairy has been very good to us,” Wentz said.

The borough was awarded a $27,000 Department of Environmental Protection 904 Grant for recycling commodities; the Water Authority will receive a $75,000 grant to go toward the refurbishing of the sewer pump station.

The Diamond Fire Company applied through the borough for a $500,000 grant, and will receive $400,000 toward the purchase of a new truck, and the borough will receive $100,000 to go toward the purchase of a truck for yard waste recycling.

Wentz requested a motion to apply for a Grow NOCO Grant for up to $50,000. The grant opens at the end of April and closes at the end of May.

“Currently, we have a DEP Grant for yard waste, which is a 90/10 grant,” Wentz said. “DEP pays 90%, we pay 10%. This Grow NOCO Grant would cover our 10% with money left over.”

Wentz also requested a motion to apply for a Public Safety grant open in July. The funds will be used to replace the 2014 police car. The grant is expected to bring in at least $50,000 toward the car.

Council passed motions for those grants.

Wentz also told council that there are at least two more grants that might be approved in May or June.

Street project

Last month, council authorized Jason Newhard, borough engineer, to bid out the 2023 street project. Of the two companies that could do the project, one does not apply a polymer topcoat. With the other, the bid price of $6/square yard would go to $8 or $9 per square yard. That would raise the cost of the project more than $60,000.

“If we limit the project to parts of North Lincoln Avenue, and the shoulder on Washington Street,” said Wentz, “ and I spoke with AMS (Asphalt Maintenance Solutions, LLC, Emmaus). We’ll do as much of the work in-house as we can. We can rent their truck, rent their roller, we’ll run it. We can buy the stone and the oil off CoStars at the state bid price. The oil and stone can come out of Liquid Fuels. The rest would come out of the general fund. Instead of $6 or $9 per square yard, we can drop the cost to $4.40 per square yard. We can do the project for $18,000.”

Doing it this way, the project does not need to be put out to bid. Council passed a motion approving the updated project.

In related news, Lehigh Township purchased a milling machine that would only work if connected to Walnutport’s skid loader. The milling machine would be stored in Walnutport.

“This will save us a lot of money,” Wentz said, “because we will not have to rent one. They (Lehigh Township) will use it when they need it, and we can use it when we need it.”