Slatington approves first payment on water main project

Slatington Borough Council approved the first payment Monday night to Sikora Brothers Paving Inc. in Hunlock Creek for work completed on the Shadow Oaks Lane water main project. The amount of the payment is $96,661.05.

Sikora was awarded the project in August with a bid of $327,778. They began work in late September, and Council President Daniel Stevens said the work should be completed by the end of October or early November.

The project involves the replacement of 1,800 linear feet of the water main line on Shadow Oaks Lane that is deteriorating. It is being replaced by 6-inch ductile iron pipe, as well as 24 service lines and four fire hydrants.

At Tuesday night’s meeting, the supervisors approved the purchase of 24 lateral curb stops for the project. Stevens said the total cost for the purchase of materials and labor should be about $8,200.

A curb stop is a valve located at street level in a curb box about a foot away from the curb. The device allows municipalities to access the water main to quickly and easily turn it off if needed.

“If there was an issue, you wouldn’t have to dig up the street,” he said.

The curb box is located at the juncture of to laterals. Stevens explained that the borough is responsible for the lateral from the water main to the curb box, and the homeowner is responsible for the lateral from the curb box to the house.

The borough received a $250,000 grant through the state Department of Economic and Community Development’s Pennsylvania Small Water and Sewer Program.

The grants are for offers grants for small water and sewer infrastructure projects. It can be applied to the construction, improvement, expansion or rehabilitation or repair of a water supply or sanitary sewer system.

The borough is responsible for the remaining $77,778, which will be covered by the borough’s water fund.