At the Sept. 6 Lower Macungie Township Board of Commissioners meeting, representatives from various public offices, commissioners and others expressed their appreciation for Township Manager Bruce Fosselman upon his retirement.

Fosselman has served the public for 41 years with 10 years in Lower Macungie Township.

“The township would not be where it is today without Fosselman,” President Ronald Beitler said.

State Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-134th, issued a proclamation for Fosselman. A representative from the office of state Sen. Pat Browne, R-16th, also presented Fosselman with a proclamation.

Commissioner Brian Higgins expressed his appreciation to Fosselman saying, “He made being a commissioner easier.” Commissioner Ron Beitler said “the force was with him.”

Fosselman began his career in 1977, the same year as Star Wars was released. Beitler also shared the quote, “A retired husband is often a wife’s full-time job.”

Another comment made stated Fosselman held the highest standards of service. He was often the first one in and the last one out at night.

With Fosselman’s retirement, a search for a replacement was conducted. The township received 20 applications and interviewed six applicants. Applications were received from across the state and even out of state lines.

After many interviews, Bruce Beitel, from a municipality near Pittsburgh, was hired and approved by the commissioners. An authorization was issued to advertise his salary and approved by the commissioners.

Commissioner Doug Brown said to Beitel, “You have big shoes to fill but with your background you can do it.”

In other business, the 2017 audit was completed and the report shows no problems. Cash was up, assets increased. Liabilities were up but with reason. The total revenue was $6,393,000 with expenditures of $1,301,000. Details can be found on the township website at http://www.lowermac.com/departments/finance.

Two residents from Lantern Court, off of Sauerkraut Lane, spoke about a recent incident. A car went over the curb and down the embankment near their homes. This area is where trees stood as barriers for situations like this but were removed by PPL. It has been suggested a guard rail be installed in this area to prevent another situation.

A resident who lives on Brookside Road spoke about a problem in his neighborhood with noise, a large lighted sign and parking issues. A home occupation business runs a tax service from the home and has a large lighted sign. It has also been an issue with cars parked in the area causing problems for neighbors.

Township Engineer Alan Fornwalt said the Mill Race Road bridge is now open. It has been upgraded to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s current standards. The weight limit will be re-posted upon PennDOT approval. The bridge is grated as before but has steel plates for a dog walk.

Fornwalt also announced the improvements along Lower Macungie Road have begun. Shrubbery was removed to make room for the sidewalk. The traffic light improvements are included in this project.

Wild Cherry Park parking lot construction is moving along. It is expected to open in early October.

Spring Ridge Crossing Park is being upgraded to allow for a bigger parking lot and improved softball fields. A bid was received from Semmel Excavating for $769,000 along with several other bids which were higher. There are some issues with lack of permits. The bid was approved with Brown voting against due to lack of permits.

A resident spoke about flooding on Orchard Road. An inch of rain causes a flood which affects several houses in the area as well as the roadway. There are drainage pipes but they have rusted out. The area is around the railroad crossing which is making the area’s road crumble due to this problem. There is also water in resident’s basements. The township said they are aware of the issue and will have an answer after Sept. 20.

An executive session was held about personnel matters.