Upper Nazareth Township Meetings

 

September 5, 2018 – Upper Nazareth Supervisors Meeting

 

Announcements

September 8^th – 9AM – Noon; Northampton County Electronics Recycling Event @ 345 Illicks Mill Road, Bethlehem

September 15^th – 9AM – Noon; Northampton County Mobile Shredding Event at Weona Park, Route 512, Pen Argyl

September 13^th – 7:00 PM Planning Commission

• Only Heritage Village has submitted something for the agenda. The company which is proposing to build a warehouse on Gun Club Road will not be presenting at this meeting.

October 6^th – Touch a Truck event at Tuskes Park

October 31^st – Trick-or-Treat will be held from 6:00-8:00 PM; the party at the township building will be held from 4:30 – 8:00 PM

The 2017 Real Estate audit has been completed and is available for review.

Community Concerns

Two Farm View residents spoke out about the safety problems for students walking across the Friedenstahl Avenue. With trucks, buses, and students weaving around parked cars, it’s only a matter of time before someone gets hit. (A student was struck by a car on Friedenstahl Ave. a few years ago). The Supervisors had arranged to have a Crossing Guard stationed at the 5^th Street intersection but the guard was only there for the first day of school. Patricia Quinn, the Supervisor of Transportation for NASD had a meeting with the township manager on Aug. 1^st. A memo to the Supervisors states that the District opposes having any crossing guards on Friedenstahl and wants to turn 2^nd and 4^th Street into 4-way stops.  They want PennDOT to declare Friedenstahl Ave. as hazardous for all ages. This would mean all students in Farm View Estates would be eligible to be bused to school. Right now, only the elementary students are bused. Ms. Quinn was supposed to attend the Aug. 15^th meeting but didn’t show up. She also skipped tonight’s meeting. The Supervisors encouraged residents to speak out at the next School Board Meeting which will be held on Monday, September 10^th at 6:30 PM.

Editor’s Note: I live in Farm View Estates and this fight has been going on for 20 years. Many of my neighbors have pleaded with the District to do something about student safety. A transportation plan should have been put in place two decades ago when the Intermediate School was built.

Supervisor’s Comments

Many thanks to all the volunteers, road crew members, police and firemen who made 2018 Community Days a success.

Farmland Preservation

Perfecta Farms (sp?) wants to protect some parcels of their land. Gary Asteak pointed out that Upper Nazareth Township does not have an Agricultural Security Area but Bushkill Township does. The Supervisors approved a motion to have Bushkill accept the tracts into their area.

Firework Regulations

A new Pennsylvania state law allows the purchase of bigger fireworks. Gary Asteak asked the Supervisors to consider updating the zoning ordinance to limit where and when fireworks can be set off pointing out that Hanover Twp. limits fireworks to July 4^th weekend and New Year’s. Police Chief Cope reported the station got a lot of calls on July 4^th because the fireworks sounded like gunfire. Donna Hirst said including a moratorium during a drought would be a good idea.

Animal Control Topic Revisited

The township manager, E. J. Mentry spoke about a dog the police recently picked up which cost the township between $500 – $600 before they were able to convince a shelter in Monroe County to accept him. A bite to township employees would cost thousands of dollars in Workman’s Comp. E.J. Mentry requested that the Supervisors revisit joining the Council of Governments and contract with Pibbles & Paws to take in stray dogs. The cost would be 50 cents per capita or $3,200 per year. Supervisors rejected this proposal earlier and won’t be able to get services for 2019.

Roadwork

The mill and overlay roadwork should be done by sometime next week.

In an attempt to improve communications among municipalities, PennDOT will hold a meeting about bridges at the township office on Newport Ave. on Sept. 13^th from Noon – 1PM with Upper Nazareth and Lower Nazareth townships.

Your Tax Dollars at Work

Approval of township official to register at the NCATO Annual Convention at a cost of $55/person.

The turbo on one of the road crew trucks has broken and needs to be repaired for a cost of $4,700.

 

 

Becky Bartlett covers these meetings because citizens have a right to know what their government is doing.