The Chestnuthill Township Shared Emergency Services building is back on track after township supervisors awarded bids for the multimillion dollar project.

The facility will be centrally located within the community, at the intersection of Route 715 and Firehouse Lane.

It will be an all-in-one complex for the West End Volunteer Fire Company, West End Community Ambulance Association and a Regional West End Emergency Operations Center that would serve Chestnuthill, Jackson, Eldred, Ross, Polk and Hamilton Townships. It would also provide an administrative backup location for the Monroe County Control Center and the Monroe County Office of Emergency Management.

The board awarded $11,002,356 in contracts: general construction, base bid cost, $7,509,902, Bracy Construction; plumbing construction, base bid cost, $1,147,000, K.C. Mechanical; HVAC Construction; base bid cost,$747.000, Hosler Enterprise; electrical construction, base bid cost: $1,598,454, Wind Gap Electric Inc.

In July 2022, the bids were put out for the building. Keystone Engineering submitted the only bid.

The bid came in at $10.2 million, above the expected range of $6 to $7 million.

The fire department, the fire chief, and staff advised the supervisors to reject the bid and bid it out again in about six months. The board took the advice and rejected the bid.

The 19,598-square-foot building has 13,630 square feet dedicated to the fire department and 2,781 square feet for the township’s emergency operations and the West End ambulances will be housed there, as well.

In February 2022, Chestnuthill Township received a $1 million grant for the project in a Homeland Security Appropriations bill.

Solar energy

The board granted a conditional use application of Solar Renewable Energy LLC to use property owned by Scott O. Bush and Talitha A. Graham at 103 Silver Valley Road, Brodheadsville.

The project calls for 2,000 solar panels on the property.

Public hearings held on the solar farm were held on Jan. 17, Feb. 21, and March 21, with no one contesting.