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The Swatara Township Board of Supervisors voted to approve street sweeping for 2025 and go to bid for the paving and oil and chip projects at the March 13 meeting.
Township manager Jennifer Harding said she got three quotes for street sweeping services. Martin Paving was $175 per hour plus transportation, North Lebanon Township was $175 but would require an intermunicipal agreement, and Municipal Contracting was $155 per hour but would include truck costs.
Given the time delay and solicitor costs required with an inter-municipal agreement, supervisors preferred to choose from either Martin’s Paving and Municipal Contracting.
They voted to do all necessary street sweeping for a maximum of $175 an hour plus travel costs. They did not decide which company they would go with or when street sweeping would occur.
Supervisor Rick Kreitzer said street sweeping throughout the township typically takes about a week or around 40 hours of labor.
The board also voted unanimously to go to bid on three paving and one oil and chip projects for 2025.
Read More: Swatara Township moves to prepare bids for paving, oil and chip projects
The lower end of Kenbrook Road will be oil and chipped. The southern end of Old Route 22, Chestnut Street, and part of South Lancaster Street just south of Route 22 will be paved.
Following the December meeting, Harding said the paving projects have a total length of about a mile. There isn’t a specific timeline yet, but the township is looking to complete all projects over the summer before the start of the new school year.
The township budgeted $300,000 for paving projects in 2025. The four projects are estimated to cost about $308,000.
At the April meeting, supervisors will open bids and vote on the cheapest one that fulfills all requirements.
“If we get six bids, we open them one by one and take the low bidder — the lowest responsible bidder,” supervisor Dean Patches said. “Sometimes it’s pretty competitive and some years we only get one or two.”
Regarding the paving request for Cemetery Road, as discussed at the February meeting, Harding said they looked into two possible grant opportunities to help the township cover costs. She said only one of the grants would be applicable for the road, but they would need to gather more information about the project before starting the application.
“We got to do a lot of legwork first to even be at that point for submittal,” supervisor Bill Bering said after the meeting. ”We’re at the very beginning stages of that.”
They still need to get quotes on base repair, stoning, paving, guard railing, and permitting, Kreitzer said. They are considering an oil and chip paving.
“Even that is well over $100,000,” he said. “They have to put a base in, oil and chip, of course we need guard railing, and we may have to put a cul-de-sac in — we don’t know that yet.”
Harding said they will need a stone base, a layer of bituminous base, and then the oil and chip on top. Supervisors said they don’t see costs rising above the $100,000 figure.
Patches said once they gather more solid estimates, they will be able to decide if they will fill out the application. The grant funding would not cover the entire project, and the township would still need to use some of its own money. Kreitzer said it might be another grant cycle or two before they are able to submit.
In other business, supervisors:
- Voted to increase the supervisor salary from $2,500 to $4,190 to align with the state-allowed maximum. Kreitzer and Patches said they will stay consistent with the salary allowed by the state, and other townships will likely do the same. The increase will only go into effect at each seat’s new term. Bering, who is up for reelection later this year, abstained from the vote.
- Announced they will vote on a resolution that will allow law enforcement members of Immigration and Customs Enforcement to come into the township without any red tape from the local government. Kreitzer and Patches said they aren’t aware of any undocumented immigrants, but Bering they want to be proactive rather than reactive in case ICE needs to conduct business in the area.
The Swatara Township Board of Supervisors will have its next regular meeting at 7 p.m. on April 10 at 68 Supervisors Drive.
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