Concerns about stormwater and speeding vehicles again were voiced by residents to the Salisbury Board of Commissioners at the Aug. 8 Salisbury Township Board of Commissioners meeting.

Commissioners, township police and public works department officials said they will look into the alleged speeding by vehicles.

When it comes to stormwater, Mother Nature was cited as the culprit.

Stormwater runoff and excessive speeds by vehicles concerns have been voiced nearly monthly in the past year or so by residents at township commissioners’ meetings. The Aug. 8 meeting brought additional residents with different sets of problems.

Dan Freed is concerned about standing water in the vicinity of Montgomery Street.

“The mosquito problem is so bad, you can’t even sit outside anymore,” Freed said. He added there is standing water in his yard.

“You can’t even use a push mower,” Freed said, adding, “It started when the street was resurfaced. Ever since then I can’t use my yard.”

Salisbury Township Assistant Township Manager, MS4 Coordinator and Building Code Official Sandy Nicolo said of Freed’s property, “I was out there. It’s groundwater coming up.”

Salisbury Township Consulting Engineer David J. Tettemer of Keystone Consulting Engineers, Inc., said, “Pray for dry weather. Right now, the water table is 20 feet above normal.”

Tettemer said typical annual rainfall for the Lehigh Valley is 40-46 inches but as of August, there has been 80 inches of rain.

Tettemer said Montgomery Street was resurfaced after a sewer line was installed. “They didn’t change the grading of it,” Tettemer said.

“I’m getting a lot of calls [about stormwater runoff], many from the east side of the township,” Nicolo said,

Salisbury Township Board of Commissioners’ Vice President Debra Brinton said of stormwater runoff problems, “It’s on the east side and the west side, too.”

Salisbury Township Commissioner Joanne Ackerman, who lives in the west side’s Green Acres area, said, “I’ve lived there 45 years. Water shot up from a cap in my basement.”

Salisbury Township Commissioner James Seagreaves said, “I’ve had four-by-four foot timber that landed 70 feet away.”

Bonnie Thomasik, an eastern Salisbury resident, said vehicles are speeding on Ueberroth Avenue.

Ueberroth Avenue is a north-south township street that connects to East Susquehanna Street at its northern termnus, intersects with Lehigh Avenue and connects to Salisbury Road at its southern terminus.

Thomasik said vehicles are speeding through the Ueberroth Avenue and Lehigh Avenue intersection.

“Something has got to be done,” Thomasik said.

“You can’t see to get out on Susquehanna,” Thomasik added.

“It’s a bad intersection,” acting Salisbury Township Police Chief, Sgt. Kevin Soberick said.

High-visibility reflective lettering on the stop sign and-or white lines on the road surface designating the stopping area were among suggestions to improve traffic safety.

“Those two things would be effective in enforcements,” Soberick said.

“We will put the speed board back out,” Soberick said, referring to a display sign that monitors and displays an approaching vehicle’s miles per hour speed.

“I have a friend who lives on Lehigh Avenue and says it’s used as a dragstrip,” Brinton said.

Thomasik, who lives approximately one block from Harry S Truman Elementary School, said she’s concerned a student walking to or from school, or a child bicycling along a street, might get hit by a speeding vehicle.

“Truman is right down the street from us,” Thomasik said. “They have kids up and down the street. I called the school and said the students need to watch out for cars.”

Scott Mitchell, who lives on the west side, in the vicinity of Salisbury Hills Drive and Devonshire Road, raised concerns about vehicles traveling too fast along Devonshire.

“There’s a hidden driveway sign there, but that’s covered by shrubs,” Mitchell said. “Vehicles come up and down fast,” Mitchell said.

Suzanne Johnson, who also lives in the Salisbury Hills area, voiced similar concerns, saying, “I’m not sure if you realize how fast cars drive.”

The portion of Devonshire Road in the Salisbury Hills area is a winding road with curves and slopes.

Mitchell also cited concerns about Devonshire Road and Cedar Crest Boulevard, recommending a traffic light be installed. “That’s a very dangerous intersection,” Mitchell said.

It was stated police and public works department personnel will look into placing hidden driveway signs in each direction along Devonshire Road.

Also during the public comment portion, a resident voiced concerns about an adjacent house with overgrown foliage.

“I’ve written some 16 violations,” Nicolo said of the property, adding he would take another look at the residence.