The Lehigh Township Board of Supervisors met on Tuesday, August 11 at 7 p.m. to conduct routine township business.
Township residents raised drainage concerns on Primrose Lane. Water is flooding downhill from a property uphill into residents’ backyards. This has been an issue for the residents in recent years, but was worsened by the recent heavy rainfall from the tropical storm. The affected residents believe that the property owner above their backyards bulldozed a dirt bike trail in his backyard a couple years ago, causing the change in drainage patterns. Depending on the specifications of the project, the owner may have done this without the necessary permits. The board urged the residents to contact the Northampton County Conservation District to investigate whether or not a NPDES permit was needed for the earth disturbance. There was a suggestion made about having the Township engineer view the project.
Township engineer Phillip Malitsch and zoning officer Elizabeth Gehman will try to get in contact with the property owner to take a look at the project to determine if it complies with township and state regulations. If the project does not comply with the permits and regulations, the owner would have to get the necessary permits and retrofit his project to comply with them.
The Lehigh Township Fire Company is in need of a new fire police truck since their current one is in a rough state. They are looking to replace it with a used vehicle that is in good condition; this truck would cost $77,000. The board voted to put $50,000 toward the cost of the truck, and will look at paying the rest off towards the end of the year.
The board also discussed a request to transfer a liquor license to 4619 W. Mountain View Dr.
According to new rules and regulations, the board must hold a hearing to transfer the license. In the past, a liquor license transfer could be denied without a reason; however, the new regulations indicate that In order to deny a transfer of a license, you need to have cause or reason to deny it.
The board motioned and approved the appointment of Attorney James Preston to represent the township during the liquor license transfer hearing.
Township Manager Alice Rehrig reported that she has received requests to have No Truck signs posted at the entrances to the Cherryville Farmettes.
Truck drivers are turning onto Cherryville Road and realizing it is a weight-restricted road, which causes them to hook down through the farmettes to get off of the road. The downside to having a truck restricted road is that the township engineer would need to conduct a study before getting the signs installed.
Another idea was to contact PennDOT and see about putting more signs on Blue Mountain Drive that specify trucks cannot be on Cherryville Road.
Finally, the board is looking for a Lehigh Township resident interested in serving on the recreation board; the recreation board meets the third Monday of each month at 7 p.m. Those interested should send a letter of interest to the municipal building.
The next Board of Supervisors meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 25 at 7 p.m. in the Lehigh Township Municipal Building.
