New Tax Collector for Whitehall and Update on New Fire Station

New Tax Collector for Whitehall

Whitehall Borough will have a new tax collection agent beginning in January.

The Whitehall Council voted on Wednesday night to employ Jordan Tax Service to collect all general service taxes in Whitehall effective Jan. 1, 2012. The Peters Township-based company replaces Berkheimer Tax Administrator.

Whitehall Borough Manager James E. Leventry told the council that Jordan will charge the borough a 1.8-percent service fee for the gross amount of tax dollars collected. Businesses in the borough will have to register with Jordan Tax Service prior to the first of the year. Borough officials plan to publish information about the new tax collection service in its borough newsletter, as well as have information available at the .

Update on Fire Station Construction

Borough council also heard a report from Mark Edelmann, architect for the new station under construction along Route 51. It was Edelmann's first of what he said will be monthly progress reports on construction of the $2.5-million facility.

Edelmann said that the building site has been graded and that walls are up along with floor joists. He said that plans are to begin pouring concrete on the second floor sometime within the next week.

“We will pour the second floor first and then work off the first floor,” he said. “We will get the rest of the wall up and then begin putting the roof trusses on the building.”

Edelmannn also noted that some of the veneer has already been placed on some of the new building's walls.

Wet weather in the past few weeks has complicated some of the construction, but Edelmann said that work continues nonetheless.

“I've been out there twice a week, and it seems like it's rained every time,” he said. “ ... But DiMarco Construction (general contractor) has been doing a very good job.”

Edelmann noted that, when roofing begins, the trusses will be unloaded and placed directly off of a truck since there is no space to store the trusses before they are used.

Edelmann presented construction bills to date from the general contractor and subcontractors, noting that, thus far, 15.2 percent of the cost of construction has been spent.

New Strategic Plan in the Works for Whitehall Public Library

During the council's standing committee reports, Councilwoman Kathleen N. DePuy reported that  officials are seeking input from elected officials as the library develops a new strategic plan for the future.

Council members completed questionnaires that will be submitted to library officials.