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Nazareth, Pa., United States

Tuesday, August 04, 2015

Bethlehem Tp Wants Running Bamboo to Run Away

Melissa Shafer and Tom Nolan review agenda
At their August 3 meeting, Bethlehem Township Commissioners voted 4-0 to advertise changes to their Weeds and Noxious Vegetation ordinance that would require bamboo aficianodos to keep this plant from invading or growing onto adjoining or neighboring properties, usually by installing underground sheathing around what is actually a form of grass. Ordinances in 17 communities throughout Pennsylvania already ban or restrict running bamboo. The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources lists this grass, which actually survived the Hiroshima bomb, as one of the fastest growing and most invasive flora in the world.

These concerns were brought to the Board's attention at their last meeting by artist Sean Delonas, a former Page Six Cartoonist at The New York Post. But he was repeatedly interrupted by Commissioner Michael Hudak, who eventually stated "I'm done" and walked out of the meeting.

Hudak is apparently still done. He was absent from the August 3 meeting. But Commissioner Marty Zawarski was just getting started. He began the meeting by publicly apologizing to Delonas for the way that he was treated by Hudak. "[Delonas] was treated in a manner that I felt was inappropriate on so many levels ... . I want to extend my apologies for what happened and I will try to make sure that no resident is treated like this again."

Delonas thanked Commissioners, and informed them that he and his neighbor are working together to solve the bamboo problem. Tom Nolan hopes that the Ordinance will educate residents about the danger of invasive bamboo.

In other business, Commissioners voted 4-0 to seek $50,000 in funding for a joint stormwater study with Freemansburg Borough. Half of this money is being sought from the Pa. Municipal Assistance Program. The other half is being requested from Northampton County's newly created Community Investment partnership program.

Manager Melissa Shafer and Zawarski also reported on a recent trip to Lancaster, which is considered a model of successful stormwater reduction. Lancaster upgraded what it calls its "gray infrastructure," which is what it calls its pipes and pumps. But Lancaster is also investing heavily in "green infrastructure" designed to reduce stormwater runoff. This includes the introduction of porous basketball courts and parking lots, as well as planting more trees.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

April 3rd? Are you in a time warp?

Bernie O'Hare said...

Yes.

Anonymous said...

More ordinance regulations and more spending by Bethlehem Township. Can they not just enforce what's on the books? Do they really think that the residents of the Township will put up with a special tax increase resulting from a study that will be ginned to require fixes beyond the financial wherewithal of the Township? How are they going to spend money fixing historic problems and ignore the millions of dollars of repairs needed at the Community Center, Housenick Mansion and for other Township infrastructure? Real leadership making tough choices is needed in that community. As the Rolling Stones have said, "you can't always get what you want".

Anonymous said...

@6:58,
You forgot the rest..."sometimes, you get what you need".

Bernie O'Hare said...

Amen. That was a necessary change, no matter how much it was sneered at by Hudak,

Anonymous said...

The public has been bamboozled!

Bernie O'Hare said...

Very good!

Anonymous said...

Am I missing something here? Is Hudak as big an asshole as he is making himself out to be or is just having a bad hair day?

Bernie O'Hare said...

Corrected. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

hEY BERNIE JUST THOUGHT ID CHECK IN AGAIN FOR LAUGHS.
i REALLY ONLY HAVE TWO THINGS TO COMMENT ON REGARDING THIS BAMBOO FARCE.
1ST EVERY ONE KEEPS SAYING THERE ARE OVER 17 MUNICIPALITES IN PA WITH BAMBOO ORDINACE. SO WHAT ! THAT MEANS THERE ARE 17 OTHER BOARDS IN PA WITH IDIOTS SITTING ON THEM. DID YOU OR ANYONE OF THOSE COMMISIONERS DO A SIMPLE CHECK. THERE ARE OVER 2600 INCORPORATED MUNICIPALITES IN PA, 2600 ! THAT MEANS THAT "LESS" THEN THREE QUARTERS OF "ONE" PERCENT HAVE ANY KIND OF ORDINANCE ON BAMBOO. WHAT KIND OF ASSHOLE BASES HIS DECISION ON THREE QUATERS OF A PERCENT OF THE POPULATION. OH, THATS RIGHT BETHELEHEM TOWNSHIP COMMISSIONERS DO. WHAT A BUNCH OF INCOMPETENT BOOBS!
SECOND, 6:17 AM IS CLEARLY YOU COMMENTING ON YOUR OWN BLOG AGAIN. SOMETHING YOU DO ALL THE TIME JUST TO TRY AND STIR UP TROUBLE. BEING ONE OF HIS NEIGHBORS I HAPPEN TO KNOW FOR A FACT THAT HUDAK HAS BEEN ON VACATION WITH HIS FAMILY SINCE MID-JULY AND WILL NOT RETURN UNTIL MID-AUGUST. SO "NO ONE" HAS SPOKEN TO HIM. IF YOU WANT TO TELL ZAWARSKI TO GO FUCK HIMSELF HAVE THE BALLS TO DO IT TO HIS FACE INSTEAD OF HIDING BEHIND ANONYMOUS YOU PUSSY.
FIND A GIRL, OR A GUY, AND MOVE OUT OF YOUR PARENTS BASEMENT BERNIE.

web lol said...

kul post !