The Lehigh Township Supervisors discussed the ongoing road project at the intersection of Route 248 and Blue Mountain Drive in Cherryville at their August 25 meeting. The project is in its fourth leg and is set to make way for a new Turkey Hill on the opposite side of the street from the current one. PPL is currently in the process of moving poles. There are already five bids in, but Chairperson Cindy Miller said that they will be accepting bids from interested contractors until the next Board of Supervisors meeting on September 8. Turkey Hill officials will meet with the planning commission in September to discuss revised plans that include a larger building and fewer gas pumps.
In other business at the meeting, a township resident, who is also a census worker, asked that the supervisors consider standardizing house numbering in the township
“It is very hard to find houses in the township. They have numbers of mailboxes near the road, but not on houses. You don’t know which one it is,” she said.
The resident noted that Allen Township requires residents to have numbers on their homes that are a certain height and color. Township Manager Alice Rehrig said that Lehigh Township does actually have an ordinance on the books that mandates that house numbers be visible from the street and, at minimum, three inches in height. However, there is no requirement on placement and people have been putting them in odd places or in areas obstructed from view. The supervisors agreed that requiring standardized numbering is a good idea, beneficial not only to delivery people but also first responders.
During his report, Township Solicitor David Backenstoe noted that he has finished a draft ordinance regarding short-term rentals for the Supervisors to review and that ongoing talks with the state Department of Environmental Protection about the unfunded rainwater mandate MS4 are “very favorable.” The township is trying to negotiate better numbers that will ultimately lower costs.
Lehigh Township Board of Supervisors meetings are held on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. in the municipal building. Because of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, a teleconference option is available with the number listed on the township’s website.
