Coming Your Way, Truck Traffic and Big Boxes!

Although Allentown has received most of the recent attention, the real story is going on in Allen and East Allen Townships. That's where Fed Ex Ground is under construction. At full build out, Lehigh Valley Planning Comm'n Executive Director Becky Bradley predicts it "will be the largest ground facility in the world." It will bring jobs, but it will also include a lot more big box warehouses and logistics facilities that will double truck traffic in the Lehigh Valley over the next few years. They ware being built in Allen and East Allen Townships, near the Fed Ex, with the ultimate goal being same day delivery to customers along the east coast. And while online shopping and big boxes explode, brick and mortar department stores will wither, taking jobs away.

In his first State of the County address, NorCo Exec Lamont McClure said he's troubled by the impact of this development. But there's little a county can do. We may have a regional planning commission, but we have no regional planning and zoning laws. Over the years, developers have systematically destroyed much of the rustic charm of the Lehigh Valley. There's no longer much difference between Route 248 and in Northampton County and Route 145 in Lehigh.

A small group of local citizens have banded together. They call themselves CARD (Citizens for Accountability and Responsible Development).

In the meantime, Jaindl and Watson Land Companies which are proposing six warehouses taking up 2.5 million sq ft in Allen Township. Part of the plan requires an easement over Northampton Area School District property for a state road and a water detention basin. But a deed restriction in the school district deed requires that the land be used solely for ""education and related purposes."

CARD filed a RTK request, seeking correspondence between Jaindl and school officials from 2014 to present. It's been flat out denied and for five reasons.

One reason cited, an internal investigation, is bullshit. That would include internal correspondence, not correspondence between Jaindl and the school.

A second reason for denying everything is the fact that some of the correspondence includes real estate appraisals. That information could be redacted.

A third reason is that these are internal predecisional deliberations. Bullshit again. Communications with Jaindl are necessarily external.

A fourth reason to deny everything is attorney-client privilege and work product. This is nonsense. To the extent that there is attorney client privilege, it is waived in communications with a third party.

A fifth and final reason for denying everything is that it might reveal employee identification numbers. This is nonsense because that information can easily be redacted.

Unfortunately, the school district response is dated February 20. This was just sent to me yesterday. Hopefully, CARD has appealed. It is quite clear that the school district has no intention of being accountable.

Sunshine Act Prompts East Allen to Postpone Big Box Hearing

These people were unable to see or
hear what was happening in the meeting.

Welcome to America's Truck Stop! The Fed Ex ground facility going up right now in Allen Township is expected to be the largest ground facility in the world, according to Lehigh Valley Planning Commission Executive Director Becky Bradley. In addition to the Fed Ex itself, The Morning Call reports that Allen Township is planning for 13 warehouses around the Fed Ex. They will take up as much room as 100 football fields. This demand for big boxes is so strong that it has spilled over into East Allen Township. Last night, East Allen Supervisors were expected to consider a proposal to change the zoning designation of 155.03 acres along the southwest side of Weaversville Road, from Agricultural to Light Industrial. The suits were all there. Lehigh Valley International Airport, which owns the land. The Rockefeller Group, salivating for more big boxes. But the meeting ended abruptly with no decision or testimony because some bottom-feeder pointed out that Supervisors were violating the Sunshine Act.

That troublemaker was me.

I was there once before and had no trouble finding a place to park. But last night was different. There was no room in the parking lot, but I eventually was able to park on the grass at an empty lot next to the fire company. I was far from alone. Many cars were already there.

80 people were inside the meeting room

Walking toward the municipal building, I noticed a state trooper parked there. Maybe someone had tipped him off that I was coming. But he let me go by without tasing me. He must have been lying in wait for Ron Angle, who like me pops up at the strangest places.

The hallway inside the municipal building was packed with about 20 people. They were unable to get inside the meeting room. More importantly, they were unable to hear the meeting in any way. Resident Sonia Shadid told me another 20 people had previously been sent away.

Though there may have been no room to sit, I figured I could stand alongside a wall and decided to go in. But as I walked in, a big and burly firefighter with 24-inch pythons stopped me at the door. He told me no more than 80 people are allowed inside the room, and that I alone probably count as 10 people, so I wasn't getting in. He weakened a little when I told him I am friends with King Allentown, but he insisted on following the law.

So I insisted on following the law, too. The Sunshine Law. Though largely toothless, it does provide that the "right of the public to be present at all meetings of agencies and to witness the deliberation, policy formulation and decisionmaking of agencies is vital to the enhancement and proper functioning of the democratic process." It provides for public participation at meetings, enabling the public to speak on matters before official action is taken. In this case, the public was being deprived of the opportunity to both listen and speak.

From the doorway, I loudly objected. You see, there's a provision in the Sunshine Act that enables any person, even a bottom-feeding blogger, "to raise an objection at any time to a perceived violation of this chapter at any meeting of a board or council."

So I did. I pointed out that the public was being deprived the opportunity to witness government in action and to add their own voice. Shadid told Supervisors that about 15-20 members of the public had actually been turned away.

Solicitor Joe Piperato was receptive to this argument and explained the law to Supervisors. They unanimously voted to postpone its public hearing until they can find a bigger hall.

After it was over, I thanked each Supervisor and Piperato, all of whom were very gracious.

Lehigh Valley truck traffic is expected to double in the next ten years as a result if all these box boxes,and it will be coming down Airport Road. About 100 people were on hand for this meeting, not including the ones sent away. But I saw no one from the daily newspapers.

Campaign Signs in East Allen Township

The purpose of an election is to get people top vote for you, not piss them off. Someone might want to tell that to East Allen Township Supervisor candidate Georgiann Hunsicker and her husband. They've been planting campaign signs in people's yards without permission, and when property owners take them down, they get phone calls threatening them with criminal prosecution unless the signs return to their supposedly rightful place. What these people are being told is that they have no right to interfere with political signs placed in the public right-of-way.

There's no question that the public right of way extends into the yards of many people, especially in the 'burbs. But the property is still owned by the homeowner. It is subject to the public right-pf way. To know exactly where that right of way ends would require a survey.

Hunsicker believes it is her God-given right to plant her 100 signs anywhere within a public right-of-way, even if that right of way extends over someone's property. It's not. According to PennDOT, they compromise public safety because they distract drivers. They also pose liability concerns. And if a person owns property that is subject to a right-of-way, he still owns the property. Any person who wishes to place a campaign sign on someone else's property, even if it is on the public right-of-way, still needs permission from the property owner.  The fact that PennDOT or the township has an easement for road purposes does not mean that a political candidate has an easement for sign purposes.

Generally, people like to be asked. My guess is that Hunsicker has lost more votes than she has gained as a result of her behavior with residents who object to her signs in their yards.

We'll know in a week.  

Apologies to E Allen BOS Candidate Don Heiney

I was quite pleased with myself when I published an unofficial list in early March of candidates running for local office in Northampton County. I got it out there just hours after the deadline for filing had passed. I made a few mistakes, and corrected them as they were noticed. But in one case, I completely missed a candidate running for a Supervisor's seat in East Allen Township. His name is Don Heiney.

Two seats are up this year. One Democrat and six Republicans are seeking their party's nomination for two seats. The lone Democrat running is Eric Yocum. The six Republicans are Heiney, incumbent Madelyn Kemp, Janice Buskirk, Brian Budraitis, Georgiann Hunsicker and Edward Heiser.

The Fed Ex being built in Allen Township, which is going to spawn big boxes and traffic congestion in East Allen Township, has people concerned.

Heiney has a fairly impressive resume. He's held the following positions in East Allen Township: Supervisor – 2 ½ yrs; Chairman, Municipal Authority – 3 yrs; Chairman, Planning Commission – 4 yrs; Chairman, Board of Auditors – 5 yrs; Township Delegate, Board of the First Regional Compost Authority (FRCA) – 4 yrs; and Township Delegate, Nazareth Area Council of Governments (NAZCOG) – 4 yrs.

He is a Certified Community Planner with training in community planning, zoning, Subdivision and Land Development (SALDO) Review and creating an Implementable Comprehensive Plan (series 1, 2 and 3)

In the real world, he has been an independent IT Professional for over 17 years.

And he's got a beard. They like those in East Allen Township

Moravian College Ponders Track Meets at Bi-Centennial Park

Chair Roger Unangst

Though Moravian College is a Bethlehem school, it is considering Bicentennial Park for track meets this spring. Parks and Recreation Director Chuck Franz told Supervisors at their meeting last night that several high schools are already using the park for track meets. What they like is that they can see the students at all times, and consider the venue to be relatively safe.

Bicentennial Park, located along the Nor-Bath Trail between Northampton and Bath, is in my view the most beautiful park in Northampton County, with plenty of opportunity for both passive and active recreation.

I've been to Bicentennial Park on numerous occasions, but this was my first visit to an East Allen Board of Supervisors' meeting. About 20 residents and all Supervisors were present. There are two opportunities for the public to speak at these meetings, although no one exercised it. But at times, during different parts of the meeting, Chairman Roger Unangst involved the public, asking questions.

The Township is still cleaning up from Wednesday night's downpours, during which a sinkhole blossomed at Osage and Towanda. A cement truck will fill the hole (with cement) at noon today.

The Township is doing a comparison of health insurance costs at different municipalities.

Allen Township Voters Say No to Open Space Tax Hike

On Tuesday, Allen Township voters shot down a referendum asking them to support a 0.25% EIT increase for open space funding. The final vote was 335 to 258.

This makes sense. Most of us do not want to see taxes go up when the economy is still teetering.

But at least this was an honest question. In the Gracedale referendum, voters were never told that keeping the nursing home would result in tax hikes.

East Allen Thirsts For Bethlehem Water

Bethlehem is looking to increase its revenue by expanding its water service, which is only operating at 50% capacity. East Allen Township would like to get out of the utility business. And at a combined meeting of the Bethlehem City Council's Finance and Public Works Committee on March 14, the two municipalities inched closer to a deal that will give Bethlehem exclusive water service rights in East Allen Township.

Speaking for the East Allen Township officials present, Engineer Jim Birdsall explained that a regional, as opposed to a local, system was in the best interest of East Allen residents, who would experience lower bills. In addition to paying for City water, East Allen has to add administrative costs, which are "much higher" than those charged by Bethlehem. "Basically, it's a long-term plan that the Township has to wean itself off of utilities altogether." He added that they would "focus on Township business rather than the utility business."

According to Bethlehem Water and Sewer Director David Brong, the City will take over four residential subdivisions being served by public wells. He noted that 55,752' of pipe is involved, along with 52 hydrants and pump stations, but stated that's only about 2% of Bethlehem's water infrastructure.

In addition to a Deed, Bethlehem will also get $250 thousand in debt owed by East Allen Township, but Brong explained this cost will be paid by East Allen water customers. He estimated that Bethlehem would earn $20,000 in the first year, with the potential to earn much more in the years to come, with a potential connection to the Route 512 system all the way to Bath. His goal is to extend water service to Bath over the next three years.

Chairing the meeting, J. William Reynolds was impressed by the "growth potential" of this project. "We need to expand our revenue in the water area." He added, "It certainly serves the public good."

Bethlehem won out over Northampton Borough Municipal, Bath Municipal and Lehigh County authorities. "Everybody loves our water," explained Reynolds.

City Council's Finance Committee, which consists of Reynolds, Eric Evans and Dave DiGiacinto, vtoed unanimously to recommend the project to City Council.