The Moore Township Supervisors met Tuesday, April 2 with a busy agenda that began with the swearing in of Adam Heckman as Klecknersville Rangers Volunteer Fire Company’s assistant fire chief.
Following, supervisors unanimously granted two waivers for the Faust land development to prepare a combined preliminary and final plan and to substitute evergreen trees in place of the required deciduous trees under the SALDO.
Under reports, Police Chief Gary West stated that the police department had 317 total calls for the month of March, with five written and verbal warnings issued, 29 traffic citations issued, two non-traffic citations issued for dog violations, two arrests for DUI, one arrest for theft by unlawful taking, six reportable accidents and four non-reportable accidents.
Klecknersville Rangers Vol. Fire Co. Fire Recorder Jason L. Harhart reported that for the month of March, the fire department responded to 96 ambulance calls and 48 fire calls, including three fires, eight motor vehicle accidents, one fire police, six automatic fire alarms, 10 ambulance assists, five wires down, three trees down, one rescue, one gas leak, one carbon dioxide alarm, mutual aid calls with Bath for three dwelling fires and two motor vehicle accidents, one dwelling fire with Allen Township, two dwelling fires with Lehigh Township and one motor vehicle accident with Bushkill Township.
In other business, supervisors unanimously approved the Public Works Department promotions of Spencer Tacker and David Flick from municipal workers to equipment operators based on their hard work over the past year.
Supervisors were then presented with a Girl Scout project for Troop 8189 by a young lady named Gabriella, who plans to create a butterfly garden near the Recreation Center. Gabriella informed the board that the butterfly garden will be a landing spot with water and specific plants that provide a food source for Monarch butterflies. She also explained that her troop would help create the garden for the township, but once completed, it will be self-maintaining.
The board expressed that they welcome the project and look forward to hearing about how the project comes along.
Next, supervisors unanimously approved funding of up to $2,000 for the Recreation Commission’s 2024 Playground in the Park, which will be held on Fridays from 10 a.m. to noon starting mid-June through July.
In other news, the board unanimously appointed Sandra Williams-Eckhart to fill the vacant seat on the Historical Society based on her provided letter of interest.
Supervisors also approved the agreement of sale for the Hager open space preservation of 25.34 acres, the Bealer conservation easement contract for $57,032, the D. Miller conservation easement for $60,533 and the K. Miller conservation easement contract for $46,625.
Following, Township Solicitor David M. Backenstoe presented the board with the idea to adopt a regulation of files that would prevent a loss of documents, where all persons would sign in or out of the records area and records would be prohibited from being removed from the township’s file and municipal building. Records would be maintained by the township manager.
Cause for concern came about when Zoning Hearing Board Chairman Jeffery Ayers noticed that there were documents missing from a file predating the year 2000. Ayers explained that a record was torn out that showed the board’s deliberation on a development plan but not the decision or the board’s signatures.
Planning and Zoning Secretary Lois Kerbacher expressed that this may have been done deliberately, but there is no way of knowing because the Zoning Hearing Board did not maintain good records back then. Additionally, Kerbacher noted that this was the only file that was in this condition or missing documents.
The board discussed possibly switching to an electronic document filing system. Township Manager Stephen Nowroski and Backenstoe will continue to discuss options.
Solicitor Backenstoe also updated the board on the Water’s Edge at Wind Gap warehouse development’s notice of appeal, which the applicant filed against Court of Common Pleas Judge John M. Morganelli’s decision to uphold most aspects of the township’s Zoning Hearing Board decision.
The Water’s Edge appeal states their belief that the court misinterpreted or misstated the law with an itemized list of each instance. After a briefing schedule is ordered, the appellant will be granted a span of time to file a brief that criticizes and challenges the decision of the lower court that will then be heard by a three-judge panel from the Commonwealth Court. The panel will provide a written decision that either upholds or reverses the lower court’s decision. More to come as the appeal continues.
The next Moore Township Board of Supervisors meeting will be held Tuesday, May 7 at 6 p.m. in the township’s municipal building, located at 2491 Community Dr.
