The Alburtis Borough Council meeting Aug. 31 primarily focused on the Conditional Use Application of Liberty Property Limited Partnership.

Council approved the Conditional Use Application and the only objection from Councilman John Aleszczyk was in regard to increased truck traffic in the surrounding area.

“I am not in favor of all the plans for the truck volume. Our roads can’t handle the traffic,” Aleszczyk said following the meeting.

Liberty Property Limited Partnership, a Bethlehem company, was requesting conditional use approval for the construction and operation of a warehouse at 8449 Congdon Hill Drive. The property would be located in the L-1 light industrial district. The property under consideration is 75 acres, 16.5 of which are located in Alburtis. The remainder of the property is in Lower Macungie Township. The portion of the property in Alburtis is in a district that permits warehouses. The warehouse has the ability to have 190 bays; 80 bays are planned.

Justin Fanslau spoke on behalf of the Liberty Property Limited Partnership. Fanslau said Liberty had yet to find a tenant for the property in question. He also explained the fence along the property did not comply with Lower Macungie Township’s 6-foot variance. Lower Macungie Township accepted the fence and Liberty is now working at Lower Macungie Township’s board level.

Fanslau discussed a possible issue with a neighboring property, Cold Nose Lodge. A representative from Cold Nose Lodge, an animal care and grooming facility, expressed concern increased truck traffic would cause light and noise pollution which could interfere with their business, particularly at night.

After meeting with Cold Nose Lodge, Liberty agreed to give a half-acre parcel of land to the lodge for their possible expansion and build an 8-foot privacy fence. Fanslau said the fence exceeds the minimum of 6 foot which is in the ordinance.

Fanslau talked about adding supplemental planting and a sound barrier to limit light and noise.

The proposed warehouse will provide facilities for truckers such as restrooms and rest areas.

Fanslau said maps and signs will be used to lead the truck drivers to Spring Creek Road and Route 100 as determined by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Truck traffic will be diverted from Alburtis and trucks entering the borough will be ticketed.

“Our police department will need to be vigilant,” Council President Ron DeIaco said.

There was a discussion of issues with the structural integrity of a bridge on Spring Creek Road and the bridge’s ability to handle truck traffic.

Bruce Anderson, senior manager, The Pidcock Company, also spoke for Liberty Property Limited Partnership. He talked about the water management system on the property that moved runoff water from the east to the west side of the property where there would be a retention pond. Some of the water would then be pumped into nearby fields for irrigation, according to Anderson.

Anderson said six acres of the land would be used for habitat for a specific toad species.

Anderson said the fire hydrants planned on the street and around the block were approved by the borough fire marshal. In addition, Anderson talked about putting in a walking path as part of the property adjacent to Congdon Hill Drive.

David Horn, a landscape architect and president of Architerra, PC, discussed the landscape plan for the proposed project. He detailed restrictions in a certain area of the property and a natural boundary between the property and neighboring properties.

Horn explained there is a 100-foot PPL easement running along the north side which limits the type of trees which can be planted on that part of the property.

He also discussed landscaping bordering the property of Cold Nose Lodge. There would be a number of trees on the Cold Nose Lodge Property including evergreen, oak, pine and maple, Horn explained. He continued by saying the buffer of trees would be 8 to 10 feet tall, which more than meets the borough’s regulations.

“The trees help intercept light and create a naturalistic buffer in a small amount of space,” Horn said.

Cold Nose Lodge owner Rayne Reitnauer asked to look at the proposed plants to make sure they are not poisonous to animals. Liberty representatives said they would absolutely review the landscaping plan with Reitnauer.

In other business discussed at the meeting, Borough Manager Sharon Trexler has received complaints about the parking lines on Ridgeview Drive. Some of the lines painted on Ridgeview Drive for parking spaces were put in front of mailboxes, which is causing some people to not receive their mail. Council members Steven Hill and Sherryann Oels said lines were not supposed to be placed in front of mailboxes.

Council agreed to look at the actual parking areas and discuss at the next meeting. One of the options discussed was the use of a cluster of mailboxes for the area.

Council approved a price of $100 to fix the clock previously on Franklin Street at Alburtis Borough Hall, near the sidewalk. It is a large, tall, black clock with a round white face with black numbers and hands, enclosed in glass. This clock was purchased in 2009 as part of a $10,613 Streetscape Amenities project. The funds came from a $5,000 Community Revitalization grant from State House Rep. Doug Reichley, R-134th, $613 from The Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce Foundation and $5,000 from the Lehigh County Streetscape Amenities program. The clock never worked properly and has been in storage.

The new police vehicle has been received and is connected to the computer system. The old police car will be put out to bid, according to Trexler.

There was also an issue brought up by a resident in attendance regarding speed control on Franklin Street. The resident said the speed limit is 25 mph and cars far exceed the posted number.

“Someone is going to get seriously hurt,” the resident said. He asked council to increase police patrol. This has become difficult since there is not an ideal place for the police to monitor motorists’ speed on the road. Trexler and DeIaco said they will talk to the police chief to get more vigilance.

After a recent visit, DeIaco encouraged all residents to take advantage of the Lower Macungie Township Library. “It is a great source of knowledge,” DeIaco said. “Take advantage of it. It’s free. I was very impressed.”

Council member Peg McCormack attended her last meeting Aug. 31 after her resignation was accepted due to a move out of state.

“Thank you for your service,” DeIaco said. “You kept the quality of work at a very high level.”

The Alburtis Borough Council meets 7 p.m. the second and last Wednesday of each month in Alburtis Borough Hall. The next meeting will be on Sept.14.