A group of about 50 well-wishers, some traveling from as far as Harrisburg, joined the Lehigh Township Board of Supervisors at the ribbon cutting of the municipality’s new Public Works building on Thursday, August 8. Despite the ongoing threat of inclement weather, the parking lot was filled with cars and people ducked inside the spacious building. They were greeted at the entrance by a new sign, made from a V-plow donated by a local family and painted by Rev Signs of Walnutport, which identified the facility.
The five members of the township Board of Supervisors, Chairman Michael Jones, Vice-Chairman Gerald Pritchard, Cynthia Miller, David Hess and Janet Sheats, welcomed everyone as they made their way inside.
Among those in attendance were many of the township’s employees and volunteers, including Township Manager Alice Rehrig, Police Chief Scott Fogel and Public Works Director Frank Zamadics, as well as the entire Public Works crew and members of the volunteer fire company. The public works vehicles were brightly polished and on prominent display, and the facility was adorned with balloons in the township colors of yellow and green for the occasion. A slideshow of photographs, showing the construction process and both interior and exterior shots of the completed building, was on continuous loop throughout the ceremony.
At 2 p.m., Cynthia Miller took the podium and introduced Pastor Martin Nuscher, of St. Paul’s United Church of Christ (Indianland), who offered the invocation. Miller then introduced the members of the Board of Supervisors and the visiting dignitaries, including Pa. State Rep. Zach Mako, Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure and Matt Marks, district director for Pa. Senator Nick Miller, who was there on the senator’s behalf.
Miller said that it was with “great pride and excitement” that she was introducing the building to everyone, calling it “the beginning of a new chapter in how we serve our community.” The Public Works facility has been an ongoing dream for more than 20 years, and was finally made possible through grants and a low-interest loan through Neffs National Bank. The supervisors were all extremely happy to have been able to completely finance the project without raising taxes. Miller expressed her gratitude to the legislators for their assistance in securing grants, and also to the private contributors to the project for their investment in the community. She thanked Township Manager Alice Rehrig for her “countless hours” of hard work to keep the project on budget, and acknowledged the advocacy, enthusiasm and dedication of the township employees and residents.
Miller also praised the teamwork of the disparate agencies who were involved in the development of the new facility. These include W2A Architects, Neffs National Bank, Bracy Construction, Livengood Excavators, Keystone Technology and Hanover Engineering Associates. Finally, she complimented Frank Zamadics and the entire Public Works crew for their “loyalty and dedication” to the community.
Steve Ackerman of Bracy Construction was invited to speak about his experiences over the last several months. He called it “a real honor” to have been part of the project, and said he knows it will help the public works crew provide even greater service. He said that all of the contributing agencies “worked well together to make a beautiful building.”
Certificates of recognition for the occasion were presented to supervisors by Mako, McClure and Marks. McClure commended supervisors for what he called their real achievement, which was bringing the building into reality without raising taxes. Mako, who is a Lehigh Township resident, joked that he expects “speedy repairs of potholes” in the future.
With the remarks concluded, everyone was invited outside to witness the ribbon cutting. Zamadics was presented with a pair of large novelty scissors with which to do the honors. Following the cutting, light refreshments were provided for a social hour, and interested visitors had the option of taking tours of the new facility and having their questions answered.
