The March 25 meeting of the Lehigh Township Board of Supervisors began with supervisors discussing the final payment request from Vision Mechanical for the maintenance building. The township is still awaiting the replacement for the faulty part in the building’s water tank. Board member Cynthia Miller put forth a motion to deny payment until the replacement part is installed. Township Manager Alice Rehrig confirmed that the township has the certificate of occupancy, and board member Gerald Pritchard asked whether a happy medium can be found rather than holding the final payment hostage. Board President Michael Jones stated that Vision Mechanical has ordered the part but it has not yet arrived. The motion passed 4-1, with Jones casting the lone dissenting vote.
Under recreation, Pritchard reported that the recreation board has requested the tennis court at Berlinsville Park be striped for pickleball use as well as for tennis, and he requested the board’s thoughts on the matter. Sandra Hopkins, with the recreation board, said that it was suggested at a meeting, but there was no discussion or vote on the topic. It was noted that some township residents are traveling into Allentown to play pickleball due to a lack of local facilities.
Pritchard also stated an examination of the tennis courts at the Danielsville Park has determined that the damage is too extensive to be patched; the courts must be torn up and replaced. The trees at the park were also examined, and if they do not belong to the township they can be trimmed back as far as the property line. It is unclear, however, whether they do belong to the township or not. Township Solicitor David Backenstoe recommended having the land surveyed to confirm the property line and ownership of the trees. No action is being taken on either subject as yet, but the recreation board will discuss both matters at their next meeting.
In other news, Rehrig stated that now that the fire tax has been established, the board members needed to review the leases on some properties, including one which has expired and one which is due to expire. For most of the leases in question, Backenstoe said that it would be sufficient to include an addendum about the fire tax; the board will work out the fire tax owed for each parcel and proceed from there. However, the Lehigh Township Athletic Association is supposed to pay $1 per year and maintain the property they use, but payment has been “spotty” and the property has not been maintained to satisfaction. At Backenstoe’s recommendation, Rehrig will send them a letter about the maintenance and fire tax, and remind them that failing to meet the terms of their lease renders it null and void. The discussion of the leases will be continued at the next meeting to give supervisors time to get their thoughts organized.
The board briefly discussed the rail beds in the township. One is behind the township building, one is off of Quince Road and the third is off of Alder Drive. The township is paying the taxes on these, but the taxes are not very high so the decision at present is to simply hold onto them.
Next, the board unanimously voted to enact a burn ban due to the dry weather and the ongoing fire at 375 Cherryville Road. The ban remains in place until further notice. Fire Commissioner Richard Hildebrand reminded everyone that the fire company places regular updates on their Facebook page. The police department is meanwhile conducting a criminal investigation with regard to the origin of the fire. Hildebrand provided a timeline of the fire, which started on the afternoon of Saturday, March 22, and outlined the efforts to fight the blaze up to the time of the municipal meeting. The board voted to allocate up to $2,500 for the fire company’s efforts to remediate the fire, per the company’s request. Hildebrand and the other firefighters were commended for their efforts and applauded by those in attendance.
In other news, the municipal authority has contracted with Advanced Rehab Tech to reline the manholes in Danielsville. The relining will prevent cracking caused by runoff and improve the efficiency of the sewer system.
The board also approved Rehrig’s request to apply for a FEMA generator grant. A resident provided information which may allow the township to acquire a generator for free; Rehrig will look into it.
As a final note, Backenstoe informed the board that he received an email about what he called an “interesting mistake.” A surveyor who sent the email explained that the cemetery of St. Nicholas’ Church was erroneously included in the wrong parcel of land, and needs to stay with the church. He requested Backenstoe and the township to help by putting the correct tax parcel number on the cemetery. The board approved having Backenstoe send the necessary letter.
The board adjourned for an executive session, noting that no action would be taken.
The next supervisors meeting will be held at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 8 in the municipal building, located at 1069 Municipal Road, Walnutport.
