The Lehigh Township Board of Supervisors met on Tuesday, October 13 at 6 p.m. in the township building; community members were also given the option to call into the meeting.
The board meeting opened up with a discussion of the township’s 2021 budget plan; a more in-depth discussion will be held at their October 27 meeting. Some items that were discussed include previous requests from the recreation department, workers’ compensation and unemployment rates, and the potential for a new police vehicle.
Police Chief Scott Fogel introduced a Girl Scout from a local troop who is currently working on her Bronze Award project. He also discussed the increase in school zone violations, including speeding and not stopping for buses, that seems to happen every September and October. The police are keeping an eye on the bus stops to monitor the situation with a list of bus stop locations provided by the bus company; bus drivers also let the police know which stops are problem stops.
The board approved the promotion of Dean Heffelfinger to a full-time police officer since his probationary period ended on October 7.
Phillip Malitsch, township engineer, reported that he took a look at the Primrose Road property. Concerns about water drainage in this area were first addressed at the August 11 meeting. Water is flooding downhill from a property uphill into residents’ backyards; affected residents believe the owner of the property bulldozed a dirt bike trail that is exacerbating the issue.
Malitsch noticed that the embankment up to the trail is extremely steep, which increases runoff water by itself. It is evident that the path was created mechanically because it is too uniform and neat to be natural. However, it does not look like the path was created with a bulldozer or even within the last two years. The path is very flat, but there is one local low point where all the storm water could potentially flow down to; the issue with this is that there seems to be no evidence of erosion in the area.
With all of this information in mind, there is no way that anyone can say without a reasonable doubt that the path is causing the water to flood downhill.
A motion was made to issue a notice to proceed with the Cherryville intersection project. This will allow the contractor, Lehigh Valley Site Contractors, part of the H & K Group, to start making purchases so all their materials can be ready to go in the spring.
Finally, the board approved the architect to move forward with the design for a 100 by 140 foot maintenance building.
The next Lehigh Township Board of Supervisors meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 27 in the municipal building, with the option of calling in.
