ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Lehigh County commissioners on Wednesday moved toward adopting a $122 million capital plan laying out major spending for the next five years.
The county’s home rule charter requires commissioners to adopt a capital improvements plan each year. The plan does not directly authorize any spending; instead, it will guide the capital spending included in next year’s budget.
In all, the 2026-30 plan includes more than 120 projects. Not every project comes with an estimated cost, and not every planned expenditure will come to pass.
“Usually, what we see is the first year of that capital plan in our next budget, especially the higher-priority tasks that need to be done within the county itself.”Lehigh County Commissioner Jeffrey Dutt
“Usually, what we see is the first year of that capital plan in our next budget,” Commissioner Jeffrey Dutt said, "especially the higher-priority tasks that need to be done within the county itself.”
Though the county will not get around to every project in the plan, it is more than a “wish list,” board Chairman Geoff Brace said.
“This is a concrete, well-formulated plan that is tweaked and overhauled on an annual basis,” Brace said.
“It represents what the administration thinks that the county can handle financially and operationally as it relates to capital needs.”
Public hearing, no public comments
Commissioners held a public hearing Wednesday on the plan, a legally required step to give residents a chance to weigh on the proposal. No members of the public offered comments.
The plan’s largest line item is a $53.7 million renovation at county-owned Cedarbrook nursing home in Allentown, which would rehabilitate or reconfigure several wings of the building and reduce the number of residents using communal bathrooms.
“This plan will improve resident satisfaction and mitigate medial concerns by reducing the need for communal bathrooms."Lehigh County capital improvements plan
“This plan will improve resident satisfaction and mitigate medial concerns by reducing the need for communal bathrooms,” the capital improvements plan reads.
“The renovation coupled with the Phase One project will provide a facility that meets the demands of the market, providing the opportunity for continued revenue development.”
The capital improvements plan also includes a further $12 million for parks and recreation improvements, $6.9 million to repair more than a dozen aging bridges and $8.9 million for maintenance and upgrades at the county jail.
The county hopes to spend $11.5 million on easements protecting farmland over the next five years — enough to preserve 2,000 additional acres, officials said.
The plan calls for Lehigh County to issue an $83.4 million bond in 2028 to borrow money for several projects, including the Phase II improvements at Cedarbrook.
Lehigh County’s board of commissioners will vote on adopting the capital improvements plan at its Aug. 13 meeting.
