During the Moore Township Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, May 6, the Lehigh Solar Farm at Hokendauqua Creek in Lehigh Township was unanimously granted four waivers. Although the property is located in Lehigh Township, the driveway portion of the property resides in Moore Township.
Waivers included reducing the driveway distance to street intersection of arterial road from 300 to 150 feet; the driveway width at the road ROW line having no curbing; reducing the horizontal isolation distances for infiltration facilities from 40 feet from the property line and 50 feet from the septic system drain field to 0 feet from the property line and 32 feet from the septic system drain field; and the preliminary plan submission requirement for all major land developments.
Next, the board approved the Faust HVAC addition recommendation to reduce the financial security and commence the maintenance period per the April 14 Keystone Consulting Engineers letter, as well as the Arthofer/Solar Renewable Energy land development extension of time through August.
During reports, Police Chief Gary West provided the police department’s monthly report for April, which included 281 total incidents, five written/verbal warnings issued, 39 traffic citations issued, one non-traffic citation issued for harassment, four arrests made for DUI, simple assault, fugitive from justice and trespassing, two reportable accidents and one non-reportable accident.
Fire Recorder Jason L. Harhart provided the April report for the Klecknersville Rangers Vol. Fire Co., which included 75 ambulance calls and 70 fire calls, consisting of one fire, one motor vehicle accident, two automatic fire alarms, seven ambulance assists, seven wires down, four trees down, four smoke/odor investigations, 32 controlled burn calls, five mutual aid calls with Bath for two motor vehicle accidents, one gas leak, one fire alarm and one fire police, one mutual aid call with Northampton for a fire, one mutual aid call with Carbon County for a brush fire, three mutual aid calls with Lehigh Township for fires, one mutual aid call with Nazareth for a fire and one mutual aid call with Bushkill Township for fire police at a carnival.
Several announcements were made at the meeting including that First Regional Compost Authority does not accept ornamental grass (tall, decorative grass that turns brown) because it is difficult to process and could become invasive if seeds spread, Community Days will be holding a concert in the park on Saturday, June 28 with special guest South Penn Dixie and the Planning Commission meeting has been canceled for the month of May, reconvening in June.
In other news, supervisors unanimously authorized the township manager to proceed with an application for the Northampton County Grow NORCO Grant to repave the parking lot at the Recreation Center and for KCE to proceed with bid requests for the MS4 basin project with an estimated cost of $335,000 for retrofitting five basins. Most of the project components will be performed by the Public Works crew as a more cost-effective approach with specific components such as the tree clearing and meadow restoration being bid out as tighter scoped proponents due to Public Works being very busy this time of year.
Supervisors also unanimously approved a municipal complex feasibility study for the potential combination of the police department/municipal building with Klecknersville Rangers Vol. Fire Co., which could open up additional grant opportunities to fund the project. The municipal complex would be located at 2718 Mountain View Drive, where Klecknersville Rangers Vol. Fire Co. currently resides.
The study will cost $13,500 and be performed by Alloy 5 Architecture and Boyle Construction, who also performed the previous feasibility study on the renovation/construction of the police department/municipal building on Community Drive.
Township Manager Stephen Nowroski expressed that he envisions building a new, smaller hall for bingo and other events as a multipurpose area that will be separate from the complex, just off to the side or rear of the current location.
Nowroski also specified that the Public Works Department would stay at its current location on Community Drive; however, the township could sell the remaining portion of land to generate funds. Additionally, Nowroski explained that construction costs would decrease significantly if the municipal complex were approved. More information to come after the study is completed.
Next, supervisors unanimously approved the new towing provider resolution. The provisions set forth in the agreement require towing providers to have and maintain an established place of business within Moore Township and states that the Moore Township chief of police will schedule the use of each approved towing provider on a weekly, rotating basis. Additionally, towing providers seeking approval as a township towing provider must submit an application to the chief of police or township manager annually by Oct. 31 of each year for the following calendar year.
The board also unanimously approved a resolution for the compensation of the emergency management coordinator and fire chief and a 12-month CD renewal at 4.05%.
Last, several residents voiced concerns about unsafe gunfire in the township on Beacon Road, which has been brought to the attention of the police department as well. Residents noted that the individual responsible has been shooting “anything and everything at all times of the day” on a neighboring property with no backstops and that they fear stray or ricocheting bullets going through walls, glass and their property. Moreover, residents fear for the safety of themselves and the young children that reside on Beacon Road.
Police Chief West expressed that there have been no further reports of unsafe gun use by the individual since police interfered last month; however, supervisors agreed with the suggestion to cite the individual for reckless endangerment should he unsafely discharge firearms on the property in the future.
The next Moore Township Board of Supervisors meeting will be held Tuesday, June 3 at 6 p.m. in the municipal building, located at 2491 Community Drive.
