June 20, 2018 – Upper Nazareth Supervisors Meeting
Donna Hirst absent
Announcements
June 23, 2018 – County Latex Paint Recycling Event at 3700 Old Philadelphia Pike, Bethlehem, PA from 9:00am – 3:00pm
Community Concerns
A resident from Deerfield Street, who’s spoken out at the last 2 meetings about a cat problem in his area, again urged the supervisors to pass an ordinance. Mike Rinker said that it is up to owners to control their own animals. Gary Asteak, the township solicitor, suggested filing a private complaint with the magistrate might be a more appropriate solution. The township manager recommended several organizations which trap, spay and release feral cats: No Nonsense Neutering and the Coalition for Feral Cats of Lehigh Valley
Animal Control Officer
The Council of Governments (COG) for the Nazareth Area are setting up a pilot program to contract with an animal control organization for multiple municipalities, Pibbles & Paws. The cost would be 50 cents per capita for each municipalities. The Supervisors decided that the $3,300 price tag was too high, even though, as our chief of police pointed out, one incident of a dog bite to an officer can cost thousands of dollars in liability.
Official Map
The supervisors approved Ordinance 176, adopting an official map of the township
New Warehouse/Low Wage Jobs Coming to Gun Club Road
Jim and Nicole from JBI presented a plan for a 870,000 sq ft warehouse on 80 acres on Gun Club Road. It is being built on spec with no businesses signed up yet. Upon questioning, they said that the warehouse will be built after the pipeline goes through and the township will get fixed roads, taxes and a lot more traffic out of the deal. I pointed out there’s an enormous empty warehouse at the junction of routes 33 and 512. It was also built on spec and has yet to attract a single tenant.
Your Tax Dollars at Work
The Library is putting together a 5-year plan and wants to use a new formula to calculate the population of each township. The current estimation for UNT will be for $93,315 for 2019. The library is also doing a lot more fundraising, including the Touch a Truck event, to cover their costs. The supervisors said they’d keep the proposal in mind during their budget talks.
Approval of $2,340 to pay for cyber insurance. The township’s office had its phone system hacked recently with multiple calls made to Jamaica.
Voted down – $1,237 for an intercom/access system. The township manager says they’ll just keep the door unlocked from now on. Be prepared to wait if you need to conduct business at the office. (Editor’s Note: I misheard E.J.’s response during the meeting and incorrectly reported that the door would be locked. My apologies)
Becky Bartlett is a resident of Upper Nazareth and covers these meetings because citizens have the right to know what their government is doing.
Upper Nazareth Township Meetings 