Swatara Township awards bids for paving, oil and chip projects

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The Swatara Township Board of Supervisors awarded bids for their 2025 paving and oil and chip projects, pending attorney and engineer review, at the April 10 meeting.

Paving for Old Route 22, East Chestnut Street, and North Lancaster Street went to Pennsy Supply for $244,905. Oil and chipping for Kenbrook Road went to Martin Paving for $33,457.06.

Bid documents said Old Route 22’s paving is from the Jonestown Borough line to Route 22, North Lancaster Street’s will be from Rose Lane to Route 22, and East Chestnut Street’s will be west from Old Route 22 to North Mill Street. Kenbrook Road’s oil and chipping will be from Troy Avenue to the North Lebanon Township line.

The documents said the paving projects will total about 1.1 miles, and the oil and chip project will cover about .71 miles.

Each paved road will have a scratch coat and a wearing coat. Township officials said road crews will do necessary base repairs before the paving.

“We do that,” supervisor Dean Patches said. “We typically do, but I wanted to make sure it wasn’t in the bid.”

Supervisor Rick Kreitzer said the final totals are about where they were anticipating, and oil prices coming down could help keep expenses down.

Township manager Jennifer Harding said following a previous meeting that they expected the pavings to come in around $271,000 and the oil and chip to cost about $38,000. With $300,000 set aside for this year’s paving ventures, they now expect to be under budget.

In other business, supervisors: 

• Approved a resolution supporting Immigration and Customs Enforcement if they take action in the township. Patches said he supported the cause, but wondered if it was a little “over our head and our jurisdiction” because no other Lebanon municipalities made similar resolutions. Supervisor Bill Bering said the resolution is meant to be proactive rather than reactive and could impact residents depending on the outcome of the district attorney race. All supervisors ultimately voted in favor.
• Appointed Wes Harding as a member of the UCC Appeals Board and the IPMC Appeals Board.
• Appointed the Department of Emergency Services as the EMA coordinator.
• Voted to authorize the solicitor to prepare an ordinance that would raise supervisor salary to the new maximum allowed by the state. If approved, the rate will go from $2,500 to $4,190 per year. The increase will only go into effect at the start of each seat’s new term.
• Announced the tractor mower they voted to purchase at a previous meeting would not work out because the mower they wanted does not fit with the tractor they got specifications for. Kreitzer said the township’s road foreman is looking into other options.

The Swatara Township Board of Supervisors will have its next regular meeting at 7 p.m. on May 8 at 68 Supervisors Drive.