The Moore Township Board of Supervisors met on Tuesday, May 3 with a busy agenda and praise from residents for the hard work and diligence of the various township departments that have been working tirelessly on community projects and improvements.
First on the agenda, Moore Township Chief of Police Gary West presented April’s monthly report with 361 total incidents, 22 written and verbal warnings issued, 96 traffic citations issued, six arrests, which included one for criminal trespass, two for harassment, one for possession of a controlled substance, one for endangering the welfare of children, and 11 for simple assault. There was also one non-traffic citation issued for disorderly conduct, one reportable accident, and four non-reportable accidents.
Next, Fire Police Captain Jason Harhart gave the March monthly report for the Fire and EMS Department, citing 37 total fire calls consisting of four fires, two motor vehicle accidents, four automatic fire alarms, 11 ambulance assists, six mutual aid calls with Lehigh Township, Bath Borough, and East Allen Township, one pump detail, five trees down, and four wires down. Additionally, there were 78 ambulance calls.
Public Works Director Craig Hoffman announced the two candidates the department had for part-time seasonal employment. Both were approved for hire by the board unanimously.
Hoffman stated the road sweeping for the township has been completed, however there is going to be much ongoing road work around the township. He asked that residents be vigilant and slow down when they pass.
Jodi Hartzell of the Recreation Commission reported that they are still scheduling the playground installation for a July timeframe, weather permitting. The playground and installation will cost $8,615 and come out of the enterprise fund.
Hartzell also requested $2,000 for the Playground in the Park program, which will be Fridays June 17 through August 12 from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. This program is meant to break up the summer and offer some playtime in the great outdoors away from the TV, computer and video games. It is open to all Northampton Area School District children who have completed Kindergarten. Children 13 and over can participate or help as a counselor. This program is free of charge and is located at the pavilion at the Rec Center in Moore Township. Hartzell stated due to damages from the prior year and lack of donations, the township’s cost has increased. The commission will be performing background checks on all adult volunteers for Playground in the Park. The board unanimously approved the increase in funds.
The possibility of installing security cameras at the Recreation Center was brought up as well, which is currently being considered.
Moore Elementary has requested the use of the park field and pavilion for the 5th grade elementary field day, which has been done in previous years. The field day will be May 25 with a rain date of May 26. The board unanimously approved the use of the park and waived the fee rental for Moore Elementary.
Next on the agenda was an application for the Bartholomew Open Space Preservation on the Bartholomew land on North Road, which is approximately 60 acres consisting of farmland, open space, wetlands, and woodlands. Robert Romano of the Land & Environmental Protection Board stated that the road has a lot of road frontage, making it ideal for development and recommended the land for preservation.
The associated cost for the township is not to exceed $60,000, which does not include the easement. The cost for the easement would be around $4,500 per acre. The soft closing costs would consist of the appraisal, survey, phase 1 environmental, baseline documentation report, legal fees, and endowment. Romano requested that the township consider moving forward with the preservation of the land under Wildlands Conservancy. The motion to move forward with the land preservation was approved by the board unanimously.
Romano also presented the board with a recommendation of renewable energy for future large commercial buildings such as warehouses to conserve energy for the township. This revision would not be applicable to residential properties and farms in the area. Township Solicitor David Backenstoe stated this would require an amendment to the current warehouse zoning ordinance. A motion to pass this discussion to the Planning Commission was approved unanimously.
Next, Romano expressed that the Land & Environmental Protection Board would like to be added to the review for all future subdivision plans and land development as a way to address any environmental impact. This would simply add another layer of review from the Environmental Advisory Council before the plans go to the Planning Commission. Upon approval, the EAC would provide a letter of recommendation in addition to the Planning Commission’s letter of recommendation on all proposed plans. A motion to send this site plan review for the Land & Environmental Protection Board to the Planning Commission regarding amendments to the SALDO for EAC review was approved unanimously.
In other news, Public Works Director Hoffman met with an electrician for Schiavone Park that recommended overhead electric, which he stated would be the most cost-efficient approach. The recommendation also includes adding a shed that the electric would be built into, which would be safer for the community. The cost for the township overhead electricity plan is $6,675 and was approved by the board unanimously.
Additionally, the 20 budgeted trees at Schiavone Park will now be planted with boulders between each tree to prevent vandalism to the park and prevent motorized vehicles from entering the area. Hidden Pines Tree Farm will plant the 20 trees for $4,500 and approval for the trees and boulders was unanimously approved.
Lois Kerbacher also announced that the Community Days May 20 movie will be “Addams Family 2,” and the first Concert in the Park will be held on June 20. More information about the upcoming events will be posted on the Moore Township Community News Facebook page.
Zoning and Building Officer Jason Harhart reported on the James and Rose Danner Subdivision at 866 Point Phillips Rd. Harhart identified that upon Dennis Moore’s purchase of the 3-lot subdivision, it was discovered that the township approved the subdivision in the 1980s, but the separate parcel IDs were never assigned. A motion to authorize county mapping to add the tax ID parcels to the subdivided lots was approved by the board unanimously.
Township Engineer Kevin Horvath announced a bid for the 2022 road resurfacing project, which included 2.3 miles of road on South Cigar Road, Love Road, West Beersville Road, and Sickle Road in the southwest quadrant of the township with devised specifications that would prolong maintenance through double oil and chip. Horvath stated Asphalt Maintenance Solution was the sole bidder for a total project amount of $129,133.50, which is within the approved township budget. A motion to award the bid to Asphalt Maintenance Solution was approved unanimously with a start date pushed to the end of the season during mid-September/mid-October to allow the Public Works Department to prep the roads. Horvath added that the project will only take one day to complete.
In old business, the tabled agritainment/agritourism zoning laws from the previous month was recommended by Chairman Daniel Piorkowski to be sent to the Planning Commission with the notations made by Solicitor Backenstoe. The motion was approved unanimously by the board.
Chairman Piorkowski also announced that there will be a Road Plan Workshop held on May 26 at 6 p.m. at the municipal building.
The next Zoning Hearing Board meeting will be Wednesday, June 15 at 6 p.m. at Moore Elementary School for the discussion of the Water’s Edge at Wind Gap/Southmoore Business Center Warehouses, specifically to address variances requested.
The next Moore Township Board of Supervisors monthly meeting will be held Tuesday, June 7 at 6 p.m.
