The Salisbury Township Board of Commissioners meetings will Zoom right along, with 7 p.m. Aug. 13 and 7 p.m. Aug. 27 meetings expected to be held via the online meeting format.

Commissioners have been meeting online using the Zoom virtual meeting platform because of the COVID-19 pandemic and social-distancing guidelines.

Salisbury Township Manager Cathy Bonaskiewich made the announcement of the commissioners’ August meetings format during the July 23 commissioners’ meeting when officials considered a zoning policy change and participation in a program intended to mitigate Lehigh County stormwater problems.

The first part of the July 23 meeting was devoted to a public hearing on a proposed zoning ordinance amendment, the vote for which may occur at the Aug. 13 meeting. The amendment is intended to streamline the approval process for the use of food trucks, temporary tents for sales of flowers and fireworks and temporary for special events.

“It’s basically to accommodate temporary structures, mobile food trucks, etcetera. Rather than going through a conditional use hearing, it would go through the zoning hearing board and the zoning officer,” Bonaskiewich said.

Salisbury Township Zoning Officer Kerry H. Rabold said she agreed with the concept of the zoning change, which she had introduced at the July 7 zoning hearing board meeting.

“I think it’s the way to go,” board of commissioners President Debra Brinton said of the proposed zoning changes.

There were no public comments during the hearing.

Commissioners voted 5-0 to approve a resolution to enter into the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Winter Services Maintenance Agreement. Commissioner James Seagreaves made the motion, seconded by board of commissioners Vice President Rodney Conn, to bring the resolution to a vote.

“This is something we have been doing for many years. It’s $10,000 for a five-year period, a reimbursement for two streets,” Bonaskiewich said.

In other business, commissioners accepted a time extension granted by township zoners for the Plan Review of Plot 886, LLC, a major subdivision of five lots.

Commissioners were to meet 7 p.m. July 28 via Zoom concerning the plan.

“It is specifically to entertain approval of the final plan. We needed to get that in. We needed to act on it before July 31,” Bonaskiewich said of the special commissioners’ meeting.

Commissioners approved a motion to award a bid of $177,006.75 received from Insituform Technologies, LLC, for the 2020 Sanitary Sewer System Rehabilitation Mainline Cured-In-Place Pipe Lining Project.

Salisbury Township Consulting Engineer David J. Tettemer of Keystone Consulting Engineers, Inc., recommended approval of the bid.

“We worked with them before and they’ve already done a good job,” Tettemer said. The project is partly funded by a Lehigh County grant of $90,799.

During the workshop following the July 23 meeting, the draft Resolution for the Act 537 Plan Update was discussed as were plans for smoke testing of the sanitary sewer system in eastern Salisbury Township.

Act 537 pertains to the township’s participation in efforts to mitigate stormwater infiltration.

The smoke testing is expected to take place in mid- to late-August.

“As soon as it rains, it spikes. That shouldn’t be happening unless you have connections that are pure stormwater,” Tettemer said.

“The purpose is to not treat water that doesn’t have to be treated,” Seagreaves said,

In other business, Salisbury Township Recreation Director Genny Baillie, on behalf of the township Recreation Advisory Commission, asked about the status of the master plan for Laubach and Franko.

“Since we put such a large investment into Lindberg, we were going to wait,” Bonaskiewich said.

“We have some projects we need to accomplish over the next couple of years. Addressing the [storm]water problem in the area will tie into Laubach,” Bonaskiewich said.

“We are going to wait on the restroom?” Brinton asked. “I’ve lived here for 40 years. It was gross 40 years ago. And I don’t think it’s changed.”

“We are going to get back to it. It’s not going to be forgotten,” Bonaskiewich said.

“In my lifetime?” Brinton asked.

“I agree. We don’t want to go ahead with construction of a bathroom or pavilion unless we solve the water problem. We need to do it in the right order,” Baillie said.

A township resident asked about noise and capacity at township pavilions.

Baillie said each pavilion has a capacity.

It was recommended the capacity should be posted at each pavilion.

There were 25 people shown to be registered for the commissioners’ Zoom meeting.