In the next weeks, more than 10,000 City of Lebanon Authority customers will receive letters informing them that the lines carrying water from the curb into their residences are galvanized iron, lead, or of unknown material.
Margaret Hopkins
Margaret Hopkins reports primarily on West Cornwall Township, the City of Lebanon Authority, and the Lebanon County Metropolitan Planning Organization. A resident of Mount Gretna Campmeeting, she is interested in the area’s history and its cultural and economic roots.
As a former print journalist, Margaret has covered many municipal, school board and county meetings, learning firsthand the impact of local decisions on our lives and communities. She also learned how much readers depend upon a trusted news source to clarify, check and document those decisions—and to hold decision makers accountable.
Posted inNews
No change in millage rate for West Cornwall Township draft 2026 budget
West Cornwall Township supervisors retained the 1.250-mill tax rate for a 10th consecutive year while the 2026 draft budget tops $1 million for the first time due to residential growth.
Posted inNews
Refuse authority presents draft budget for 2026, revenues to increase
The Greater Lebanon Refuse Authority is projecting $10.7 million in operational revenues for 2026, an increase of more than $1.3 million driven by a tipping fee hike from $72 to $82 per ton.
Posted inHistory
1916 map of Mt. Gretna reveals amusements from another era
A 1916 property map of Mount Gretna Park reveals a once-thriving amusement destination developed by railroad magnate Robert H. Coleman in 1884 that featured attractions like a carousel, bowling alley, lake, and auditorium, though most structures have since disappeared.
Posted inPeople & Places
Digging into the past: Greater Lebanon Refuse Authority uncovers 1970s trash
The Greater Lebanon Refuse Authority is excavating a landfill used from the 1970s to the 1990s – and uncovering relics of the past in the process.
Posted inNews
State Route 72 paving project comes in under bid, work to begin in spring 2026
Resurfacing of an 8-mile section of State Route 72 from the Lebanon County line to Rocherty Road running through Cornwall Borough and North and West Cornwall townships will begin in spring 2026.
Posted inNews
Tipping fee for waste disposal at refuse authority to increase in 2026
Haulers will pay more in 2026 to dispose of a ton of waste – $82 per ton up from $72 per ton – at the Greater Lebanon Refuse Authority.
Posted inNews
Intersection work at N. Zinns Mill & Main Street in Quentin to be completed this fall
An intersection improvement project in Quentin resumed Monday after a year-long delay when PennDOT mandated additional stormwater infrastructure that increased costs from an estimated $70,000 to more than $117,000.
Posted inNews
City of Lebanon Authority to meet with DEP to discuss flowby for Siegrist Dam
The City of Lebanon Authority will be meeting with DEP to discuss possibly filing a request for a temporary reprieve from flowby levels called for in its water supply and allocation permit approved in September 2024.
Posted inNews
Refuse authority may use Lancaster County incinerator ash to cover waste
The Greater Lebanon Refuse Authority (GLRA) has submitted a proposal to accept municipal incinerator ash from Lancaster County to cover daily loads of waste deposited in the landfill, the authority board learned last week.
Posted inNews
PennDOT District 8 tells local planners: No new projects until next transport bill
PennDOT District 8 plans to focus on projects approved in the county’s current Transportation Improvement Project rather than taking on any new ones in the immediate future.
Posted inPeople & Places
ZooAmerica, Fort Indiantown Gap protect butterfly through captive rearing program
For more than a decade, wildlife biologists with Fort Indiantown Gap and ZooAmerica have partnered to keep the only known population of the eastern regal fritillary from extinction.
Posted inNews
Analysis shows no need to zone for more residential development in West Cornwall
West Cornwall Township has sufficient land zoned for residential development to accommodate community growth for the next three to five years, supervisors were told at their Monday meeting.
Posted inNews
City of Lebanon Authority shares results from August water testing
City of Lebanon Authority reported Monday that water samples tested for lead from 29 water customers in August contained no lead particles or contained lead below the 15 parts per billion action level, and one sample exceeded 15 ppm.
Posted inUpcoming Events
Author of Lebanon County Reads selection to speak at Beth Israel
Author Mikki Brammer will discuss her novel “The Collected Regrets of Clover,” the 2025 selection for Lebanon County Reads, in a lecture at Congregation Beth Israel on Wednesday, Sept. 10.
