Boyertown Awards $49K Road Job, Hears Coke Dust Concerns

Boyertown Borough Council hired Construction Masters Services, LLC for $49,750.80 to improve West Philadelphia Avenue and Ironstone Drive at its Sept. 8 meeting, according to the meeting minutes the borough has now posted. Council also voted to seek a state grant for a new plow truck and heard more resident complaints about coke dust and noise from the railroad, over which the borough's solicitor said Boyertown has no authority.

The road contract

The vote to award the West Philadelphia Avenue and Ironstone Drive Improvements Project was 6-0. Council member Jeffrey Cascino was absent. The motion waived minor defects in the bidder's paperwork, on the condition that they are fixed before the borough issues a notice to proceed, the formal go-ahead for work to start. The minutes do not describe the scope of the work or give a start date.

Grant requests for a plow truck and a park vehicle

Council approved two applications for Category 4 Facilities Local Share Assessment grants. The state's Local Share Account Category 4 Facilities Program distributes casino gaming revenue for projects in Berks, Cumberland, Westmoreland and York counties through the Commonwealth Financing Authority:

• $121,700 for a Ford F550 truck with a dump body, spreader and plow (Resolution 09-08-2026A).
• $13,217.96 for a 2027 Gator TX utility vehicle, requested on behalf of the Boyertown Midget Baseball League (Resolution 09-08-2026).

Both passed 6-0. These are requests, not awards. The borough gets the money only if the state approves them.

Coke dust and the railroad

Two residents spoke about the railroad that runs through the borough. One said overgrowth from the railroad property is encroaching on her yard and that the Berks County Redevelopment Authority has not fixed it. Another raised continued complaints about noise and coke dust, said the business that was supposed to use the stored coke is no longer using it, and asked who is responsible for the tracks.

Solicitor Chris Hartman said the borough has no authority over the railroad, its tracks, its property or its operations. He said the Redevelopment Authority owns the land and the Colebrookdale Railroad leases it. The borough does lease part of the Redevelopment Authority's property, he said, but only the land under its salt shed, a real estate deal unrelated to the railroad. Borough Manager Patricia Loder said two companies use the tracks: the Colebrookdale Railroad runs the passenger service, and the Eastern Berks Gateway Railroad runs freight, including the coke shipments. She said the Federal Railroad Administration controls what can be shipped and that the Gateway railroad cannot refuse shipments.

Council member Kristina Rhodes shared what she learned at her last meeting with the Colebrookdale Railroad: a new conveyor system and a sprayer being tested to cut down the dust, and a check-in from the state Department of Environmental Protection, which she said is pleased with the progress so far. The minutes do not say which of the two railroads operates that equipment. Rhodes said she plans to meet with the Colebrookdale Railroad monthly. Hartman cautioned that her contact with the railroad is a courtesy, not a business partnership, and lasts only as long as the railroad wants it to. He suggested that residents who do not get results from the Redevelopment Authority contact the Berks County commissioners.

Other business

• Council approved two handicapped parking spaces, at 123 N. Chestnut St. and on South Franklin Street for 234 E. Philadelphia Ave.
• The Eastern Berks Regional Police reported 228 incidents in the borough in August, including 6 criminal arrests and 15 accidents.

What's next

Council's Oct. 5 agenda asked it to seek a cost proposal for designing a new water treatment plant and to vote on advertising the 2027 budget for public inspection. Minutes from that meeting have not been posted, so the outcome is not yet on record. Council meets the first Monday of each month at 7 p.m. at Borough Hall, 100 S. Washington St., unless that Monday is a holiday. The September meeting fell on Tuesday, Sept. 8, because of Labor Day.

Sources and contact

• Boyertown Borough Council minutes, Sept. 8, 2026
• Boyertown Borough Council minutes, 2026
• Boyertown Borough Council and Mayor

For how residents can raise concerns with the county, see our guide to how Berks County government works and how to watch Berks County commissioners meetings.