Despite debates over property lines, the Allen Township Board of Supervisors motioned to fill in an ever-expanding sinkhole located on Willowbrook Road. Supervisors made the motion during their November 13 meeting after township engineer Bob Cox described the worsening conditions of the sinkhole.
Cox said a long-lasting fix would close Willowbrook Road for up to two days and cost between $10,000 to $20,000. However, some supervisors were not happy with this solution, as who exactly owns the property is still under debate. While Northampton County says Allen Township owns the property, Allen Township says the county does. In addition, UGI owns utilities that run through the property.
“We are bearing something here that some of us feel is not our responsibility,” said Supervisor Dale Hassler.
However, with public safety at stake, supervisors agreed that something has to be done.
“[Either] do what is correct for public safety and fix it versus arguing with the county,” said township solicitor Lincoln Treadwell.
Hassler proposed the solution of filling the sinkhole with dirt every few weeks throughout the winter until spring arrives.
“[Then] maybe something will change,” he said, referencing the property dispute.
“We owe something to the taxpayers of this township,” he added.
Treadwell seemed to agree. He added that the danger of the sinkhole is not the utility lines, but the possibility of a car driving into it. Filling the sinkhole with dirt would eliminate this hazard.
Supervisors voted 4-1 to fill the sinkhole.
In other news, supervisors addressed the possibility of petitioning the county’s Board of Elections for another voting machine. Allen Township has a total of 3,000 registered voters, three machines, and one polling place. This created long lines on Election Day. While supervisors said another location may be considered in the future, obtaining another machine should be their initial goal.
The next Board of Supervisors meeting will be held on December 11 at 7 p.m.
