In January, Jim Thorpe Borough's Engineer, Entech Inc., presented borough council with information about the wastewater treatment plant in Jim Thorpe. Project suggestions were made by Entech.

The wastewater treatment plant was built in the 1960s with some upgrades and additions being made over the years.One project suggestion involved installing a pH alarm system. The system would have real time monitoring of the pH and it would be tied into the existing alarm system.A second project detailed effluent piping and influent metering. The plant sees high flows during rain events. The higher flows cause a surcharge at the outfall where the waste water is treated. Installing parallel pipes would give more carrying capacity to avoid a surcharge.The estimated costs for the pH alarm system project is $5,000 and the effluent piping and influent metering project is $160,000, plus engineering costs.Council approved the LRM quote for the pH alarm system. They also approved the work order for design, permitting, and bidding for the effluent piping and influent metering project.Council member John McGuire stated, "The earlier we do this (wastewater treatment plant projects) the better."Project funds will be covered from the borough's reserve account.Facility upgrades and replacements from a capital improvement plan will also be discussed in the future.In other news, council members will continue to review some borough employee agreements and job titles.The motion passed to rescind some of the employee agreements and job titles that had been adopted at the end of December.Council Vice President, Gregory Strubinger, stated that council members, including the new members, will be reviewing and discussing the agreements and job titles.Council member, Justin Yaich, stated that he had no problem with looking into the agreements but he would like to keep the wages that were discussed at the end of last year.Yaich made a motion to keep the wages that were discussed at the end of the year and the motion did not pass. Council members Betsy Ahner, Joseph Krebs, Joanne Klitsch, and Strubinger voted no. Council members Kyle Sheckler, McGuire, and Yaich voted yes.Ahner, Council President, stated that she voted the way she did because the agreements are being reviewed and in terms of wage raises she would like to see the same wage raise, 3.25 percent, across the board.In other news, recently elected council members started their term at the beginning of the year. Ahner and Krebs are newcomers to council and McGuire was re-elected to council."I think that everyone in town should get involved (with council meetings.) This is our town and we need to work together for the good of our town," stated Ahner.This month's Jim Thorpe Borough Council meeting will be held, Thursday, February 9th at 6:30 pm in Memorial Hall.