The Reading and Northern Railroad will repair and realign a railroad crossing on Bernhard Road.

When work begins, the Rush Township road will be closed, township Supervisor Robert Leibensperger said.

It will likely take a week to complete the project, he said.

“The rail bed is in bad condition,” Leibensperger said he learned through conversations with railroad officials.

He noted that the railroad will alert supervisors to the week it will need to close the road. The railroad will also contact the Schuylkill County Communications Center, Bernhard Road residents and the Mahanoy Area School District, which provides busing to students.

“They’re going to let residents from each side come up to the railroad bed, and that’s the farthest each way until they get it fixed,” Leibensperger said.

Bernhard Road connects Fairview Street with Grier Avenue.

Leibensperger said the railroad will remove and realign the crossing and also do work around the road.

In an unrelated matter, sewer fees for residents served by the Hometown and Lake Hauto sewer systems will be reduced.

Supervisors voted 2 -1 to reduce the quarterly fees.

Those served by the Lake Hauto Sewer will pay $124 each quarter, down from $144 per quarter. And those who receive service from the Hometown Sewer system will pay $148 per quarter, down from approximately $178 per quarter.

Supervisor George Gerhard asked how the fee was determined.

Leibensperger said both sewer systems haven’t been going through as many pumps or requiring as much maintenance.

“That’s because we have better pumps and they have been lasting longer,” board Chairman Shawn Gilbert said.

As a result, both sewer systems have sufficient funds.

“To reflect that, we’re reducing the rates,” Leibensperger said.

The new rates go into effect on Oct. 1. Gerhard, who expressed concerns about not having enough funds for future repairs and upgrades, voted no to both decreases.