Commissioner Ryan Conrad officially resigned from his duties as a Lower Macungie Township Commissioner and president at the meeting Sept. 17.

Conrad has accepted a position in Virginia which will involve relocation.

“It was a difficult decision and is bittersweet,” Conrad stated. “There have been a lot of changes here in the township but what I am most proud of is the direction for the future.”

Commissioner Ron Beitler spoke about Conrad’s resignation. He said it is difficult to have young people involved in local politics due to their workloads and young families.

Former Commissioner Ron Eichenberg also wished Conrad success with his new job.

Art Persing, representing the Lower Macungie Township Garden Club, wished Conrad success on his new position and presented him with a certificate thanking him for his cooperation.

Cassandra Williams, director of finance, also announced her resignation. She will be working in Easton.

Eichenberg spoke about the Verizon cell tower project. Saying he recently had two dropped calls, he said the tower is necessary. PPL has a substation at this site. As a realtor, Eichenberg said he knows property values do not de-value.

In other business, the board of commissioners asked for Joe Pugliese’s resignation from the audit committee as a result of comments made at the last commissioner’s meeting.

Utility work is being completed at Hamilton Crossings. Frontage by the log cabin along Hamilton Boulevard is being landscaped. A sidewalk is also being extended in this area.

Road improvements at Liberty at Spring Creek along Spring Creek Road are being completed. Spring Creek Road between Mertztown Road and Ruth Lane is closed while these improvements are being completed.

The yard waste site is experiencing some difficulty with carding patrons. It was suggested stickers be made for vehicles to make this task easier. This option will be investigated further.

The Quarry Park project came under review. There have been delays in permits and other various paperwork. It is unclear what will happen if the project is not completed by the end of the year.

At the end of the meeting, an election was held to replace Conrad with 10 candidates applying for the position. The candidates included Ben Galiardo, Julie McDonell, Atty. Robert Rust, Mike Siegel, George Doughty, Rich Ward, Michael Heilman, Roger Reis, Scott Forbes and Todd Rothermel. There were initially five rounds of voting among the commissioners.

Ben Galiardo was voted in as the new commissioner.

Vice President Brian Higgins was named president of the board until the January election.