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MAY 13-19, 2021
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District Judge PA State Rep Zach Mako Bath Borough Authority Surcharge frustrates some Robert Hawke Honors Eagle Scouts Addresses Residents, but Authority Maintains it’s necessary Northampton Borough To meet DEP requirements By KERI LINDENMUTH Jacksonville resident Sharon Fournier was shocked when she got the news that an extra $70 per quarter would be charged to her water and sewer bill. Starting in the second quarter of 2021, all 1,135 residential sewer customers of the Bath Borough Authority, which serves Bath, portions of East Allen Township, and portions of Upper Nazareth Township, will be billed a $70 surcharge per quarter. The Authority’s 415 commercial and industrial customers will be billed a $70 surcharge per quarter per EDU. In some instances, like in the case of Fournier, her July 31 bill will show an increase of 50 percent. News of the surcharge was published in a spring 2021 special edition of the Bath Borough Authority newsletter. While the surcharge was also announced at preceding Bath Borough Authority public meetings, for many residents like Fournier, the newsletter was the first time they heard of the fee. The surcharge, the borough authority said in a May press release, was imposed to “satisfy [the Authority’s] financial obligation to construct the new sewer plant which was mandated by the DEP.” In 2009, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection mandated that the Authority construct a new sewer
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plant to replace its existing one, which was built in 1965. That plant had a capacity of 300,000 gallons per day. Due to an increase in demand, the plant was expanded in 1990. But by 2013, it was clear to the Authority that the existing system, even if renovated, could not economically meet the demands imposed by the DEP. Construction began in 2019, with the plant expected to go online later this spring. The new plant has a capacity of 510,000 gallons per day and features piping upgrades, a UV disinfection system, a rotary press, two batch reactor tanks, two aerobic digester tanks, an equalization tank, and a control building. “The new plant will provide more quality service to the Authority’s customers,” the newsletter states. The total cost for the new plant was over $14 million. About $1 million was paid by the Authority’s reserves. The remaining costs were covered by a loan from the USDA Rural Utilities Service. The surcharge, the Authority states in their press releases, was “not a decision the Authority took lightly.” All members of the Authority's board are also Bath residents and subject to the surcharge. Even with the surcharge, they added, their rates are in line with other rates in the Lehigh
By CHRISTINA SANTO At their May 6 meeting, the Northampton Borough Council tabled the creation of a study committee for a stormwater fee since a few council members were not at the meeting; it would also allow Borough Manager LeRoy Brobst to get figures from Michael Schwartz at Gilmore & Associates on what it would cost to implement a parcel by parcel billing program. District Judge Robert Hawke is up for re-election, and was present at the meeting to introduce himself and discuss his background. Besides being a district judge, Hawke is also involved in many committees throughout the state. Hawke partnered with the Colonial Intermediate Unit (CIU) and Northampton County schools to create a pilot program related to truancy. The program allows students to take (and pass) a program, which would get their truancy case dropped for the first time. He is also working on a similar program for people that get arrested for possession of marijuana or other drugs. If they go through a rehab program, the low-grade misdemeanor charges will be dropped; however, if they do not, they will have to go to court and will be ordered to take the rehab
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by HOME NEWS STAFF Last week, State Rep. Zach Mako attended an Eagle Scout Court of Honor for three young men who are members of Boy Scout Troop 33 in Bath. Their ceremony was delayed due to COVID-19. Among those recognized was Mako's constituent Jared Michael Kemmerer, who earned the rank of Eagle on Aug. 19, 2020. He is the son of Michael Kemmerer and Leslie Kemmerer of Bath. For his Eagle Scout service project, Jared planned and coordinated the construction of a gar-
dening equipment storage shed for the Heritage Village Senior Community in Nazareth. Pictured above is Mako with Jared as he was presented with a House citation recognizing his achievements. Congratulations to all three young men.
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