South Whitehall commissioners honored Brian Hite, Vinnie Quinn and David Wilson for their educational accomplishments as certified citizen planners.

Each of them completed three 10-hour classes offered through the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission and the Pennsylvania Municipal Planning Education Institute.

George Kinney, director of community development, said the courses covered subdivision and land development, zoning and community planning which included the Pennsylvania Municipal Planning Code.

Hite, Quinn and Wilson serve on the township planning commission.

“These classes help them in their planning and decision making process, Kinney said. “The classes were all voluntary. They did that on their own.”

In another matter, Barry Dobil of Josh Early Candies, expressed concern over approval recently granted by commissioners in a 3-2 vote for a left turn on to Broadway from a restaurant planned by KRE Spring View Commercial.

The fast food establishment is proposed for a 1-acre lot at the corner of Cetronia Road and Broadway.

At the Jan. 15 meeting, Commissioners Matt Mobilio, Christina “Tori” Morgan, and Joe Setton voted to allow the left turn. Diane Kelly and Michael Wolk voted against it.

“I don’t understand how that decision is related to safety and smart growth?” Dobil asked. “How are people going to make the left turn into the high volume of traffic there?”

He said sometimes traffic is backed up to the Cetronia Ambulance Corps building and the Route 309 crossover.

Mobilio reported commissioners listened to expert testimony from traffic engineers based on traffic studies.

He said the possibility of litigation also influenced the vote.

Dobil, whose business is on the northwest corner at the same intersection, responded.

“I’m speaking from experience,” Dobil said. “This is a Jersey City developer.”

He noted the township will be stuck with the problem long after KRE is finished with the project.

Dobil concluded his remarks with concerns over the safety hazards involved with a left turn at that location.

“Two of you saw the danger in this, three of you did not,” Dobil said.