January 15, 2018 – Upper Nazareth Supervisors Meeting
Absent: Donna Hirst
Announcements
Supervisor’s Meeting on February 6th at 7:00 PM
The Planning Commission meets on Thursday, February 14th at 7:00 PM
Articles for newsletter are due by February 15th
Community Comment
A resident from Gun Club Road expressed confusion over why the township has classified the proposed project as a warehouse and yet the traffic study wasn’t run for a warehouse. The Supervisors said the developer commissioned the traffic study and the project can’t come to them for a vote until the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission (LVPC) issues a ruling.
Bridge on Fox Road
The Director of Northampton County’s Public Works Department, Michael Emili, did a presentation on Bridge #224 on Fox Road. The bridge is in poor condition and structurally unsound. It averages 100 cars/day. The bridge was on the P3, or Private-Public Partnership, and scheduled to be replaced in 2018 but the contractor dropped the ball. Currently a single lane, the plan is to install a precast bridge with an increase the width from 15’ to 22’, beginning in mid-May. The County needs the township to coordinate detours between this construction project and the bridge replacement on Penn Dixie Road. Mr. Emili requested a letter of support from the township to support the widening of the Fox Road bridge. The landowner on the Moore township side is disputing the need to widen the bridge and hasn’t agreed to the easements for construction and land. Rob Disbrow pointed out that the landowner on the Upper Nazareth township side is giving up a garage. The Supervisors agreed to draft a letter of support.
Construction
An ad will go out in the next 2 years for redoing the Penn Dixie Road bridge. Hopefully construction can begin in March (weather permitting).
Township Supervisor
Gary Asteak addressed the proposal of drafting an ordinance to ban parking and standing of tractor trailers in residential neighborhoods. A reading of the parking ordinance, already in place, showed that tractor trailers are already banned from parking on township roads along with horse trailers, boats and storage units.
Gary reported that Lower Nazareth Township will have a real estate tax to preserve open space on the ballot for the primary election
Department Reports
Robert Disbrow asked Police Chief Cope about the numbers in 2018. The Chief said there were 1,000 more calls compared to the previous year.
Warehouse/Trucking Facility – Project Tadmor Subdivision
A representative from JVI LLC came to request two votes from the Supervisors.
- Bill Pulliam objected to proceeding with votes on this project ask if it had been approved. Gary Asteak and others pointed out these votes only related to planning, not the project itself.
- Supervisors voted 3 to 1 (Brian Pulliam against) a deferral of Submission Requirements to the LVPC
- JVI LLC will have to submit the documents eventually
- Supervisors voted 4 to 0 to reduce the requirements of the roadway widths along Gun Club Road.
I missed the rest of the meeting (Public Works and Recreation) due to a cold.
Becky Bartlett covers these meetings because citizens have a right to know what their government is doing.
Upper Nazareth Township Meetings 