Northampton County committee receives progress updates on parking deck, bridge and facility repairs

Northampton County’s Capital Projects and Operations Committee on Sept. 17 received status updates on a range of county infrastructure projects and short-term schedules for next steps, including a parking-lot repave already completed at the Criminal Administration Building and design work underway for a parking-deck replacement at the government center.

Mister Amili, a county staff member, said a contract to H and K Group for milling, repaving and restriping of the Criminal Administration Building parking lot and the juvenile justice center intake entrance "was completed over a 1 week period in May, and the project's been closed out." He added a small change order addressed subbase and subgrade pumping where trucks drove over the area.

Amili said Chem Aqua completed an automated boiler blowdown system for the Greysdale boiler house in July. "The system continuously monitors the chemistry of the water within the boilers to make sure that the solids content and the conductivity remain within the ideal operating range," he said, adding the automation replaces manual blowdowns and "will help to save water and energy consumption."

Work on park facilities also reported progress: a roughly 1,600-square-foot arcade patio at Greysdale was replaced with a reinforced concrete slab after removal of failing brick pavers, and the Louis Moore Park maintenance garage project is finished. For White Tuck Park, Amili said county contracts for a precast bathroom structure and general-contractor work are in place, a preconstruction meeting was held in early September, demolition has started and the county expects the new bathroom to be installed by the end of the year. "It's a precast concrete bathroom that ships in in 2 pieces, and they join them on-site," Amili said.

On bridges, Kinsley Construction began work this spring on Bridge 15 on Meadows Road in Lower Salkin Township. Amili said Kinsley has completed a bridge pier and one abutment and is building the second; precast concrete box beams and a concrete deck will follow. "If the weather cooperates we can get the new roadway paved this year," he said, but added the project remains on track for spring completion next year if paving is delayed.

Committee members pressed for a schedule update on the government-center parking-deck replacement. Amili said Alloy 5 started design work in mid-July, survey and geotechnical work are complete, and preliminary plans are expected to be submitted to the Conservation District in mid-October to begin the NPDES permitting process. "We're aiming to have a contract for the precast concrete advertised and hopefully awarded by the end of this year because there is about 9 month lead time to receive the precast concrete," he said. He said demolition could begin in a spring/early-summer window once the NPDES permit is in hand; the committee heard the conservation-district review typically takes about four to six months for plans of this type.

A committee member asked whether the county would consider a project labor agreement (PLA) to broaden bidder interest. Amili said the county will follow existing procurement guidelines and the RCO. "We're going to follow the county's procurement guidelines that are in place with the RCO," he said.

Members also asked about two items not on the agenda: prison HVAC and an exterior wall repair. Amili said the county has sought quotes for the HVAC but has not moved forward, and the county has released an RFP for design on the wall repair with bids due later this week or next; both items are expected to be pushed into 2026. A question about permitting for the Greysdale daycare drew a reply that a reinspection passed last week but that operational-opening questions would be better directed to Miss Wondalowski, the staff member referenced by the committee.

No formal motions, votes or binding decisions were recorded during the update session; the meeting consisted of staff and contractor reports, committee questions and scheduling direction to proceed with permitting and procurement steps where noted. Committee members asked staff to keep the committee updated as permits and precast procurement progress.

The committee signaled continued interest in timely procurement and permitting to avoid construction delays and to maximize bidder participation; staff indicated next milestones will be Conservation District/NPDES submission in mid-October and advertisement of the precast contract by year end.