County approves $322,000 project at Coca Cola Park

A major renovation project at the home of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs got the green light last week.

The Lehigh County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a bill that will provide $322,800 to cover upgrades to the county-owned Coca Cola Park’s HVAC system.

Instead of breaking the project into three parts, work to replace rooftop units at the east Allentown stadium will begin this fall, saving the county approximately $163,00 in crane rental and labor costs and keeping warranties on equipment up to date, Andrew Elliott, director of general services, told the board Wednesday.

“A lot of labor needs to be mobilized, so by doing it in one shot, we can get all of the 33 units onto the roof in at once, versus getting a portion done, leaving, and next year paying for the crane again,” Elliot said.

Commissioner Ron W. Beitler noted that the project will be completed with local labor.

The money was previously earmarked for a paving project at the county jail that is no longer happening because the county is selling the land to Allentown for a parking garage, Elliot said.