Several long-awaited township hires were approved by Moore Township Board of Supervisors at the Feb. 2 meeting.

Delayed by pandemic-related budget issues, Craig Hoffman Jr. was appointed the Moore Township Public Works Department director. Hoffman most recently was the Upper Nazareth Township Public Works Department assistant director. He is a Moore Township resident.

In the past, an elected supervisor assumed the public works director role as a full-time job. Over time, the notion of elected supervisors working full time for the township fell out of favor. Subsequently, the board of supervisors ceased the practice.

“I hope I can point the township in the right direction,” Hoffman said, after being approved unanimously.

“Welcome aboard, Craig,” township Supervisor Chair Daniel Piorkowski said.

Hoffman started his new role Feb. 8. His salary will be $65,000 a year.

Two new snow plow drivers were also selected from a pool of three applicants. They will begin, as needed, after background checks are completed and they have successfully navigated a township-monitored road test.

The snow plow drivers were hired in the event of a COVID-19 outbreak within the public works department that could decimate the current crew. Their wage is $20 per hour.

Moore Township Police Chief Gary West reported 203 incidents in January that yielded several arrests, including two assaults and a person driving while intoxicated.

The fire and ambulance report for January was not completed. For December 2020, the fire department responded to 28 calls, including one fire and eight motor vehicle accidents. Ambulance services responded to 86 calls during December 2020.

For 2020, the fire department responded to 319 calls, including 54 fires and 44 motor vehicle accidents. Ambulance calls during 2020 totaled 863 calls.

Township Manager Nicholas Steiner reported the snowplowing effort was ongoing.

“The guys did a wonderful job,” Steiner said, regarding the near-record snowfall experienced so far this winter.

He advised residents to call the township office if their mailbox was damaged by a snow plow. Steiner added those residents who reside on a state road and sustained mailbox damage by a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation plow should also contact the township office to receive assistance in contacting PennDOT.

In his First Regional Compost Authority report, Supervisor Richard Gable noted all equipment is up and functioning.

The land and environmental preservation board met with leader Bob Romano and explained changes they wanted supervisors to consider. The board wanted to change the “open space” criteria during the Feb. 2 meeting. Township Solicitor David Backenstoe interjected that since the criteria was adopted by either a resolution or an ordinance, a motion change would be out of order. Romano said he would research the issue and report back.

The Community Days committee reported they are working on hiring bands and companies for fireworks and rides for this summer’s event.

Backenstoe reported the township is not responsible for water runoff that has occurred for perhaps 50-100 years or more. He added if Moore Township was interested in being responsible for mitigating water runoff throughout the township, it would cost about $250,000,000.

Backenstoe explained if the township or a property owner made changes to a property via a pipe, ditch or swale installation that changed the course of water runoff, the change agent would be responsible for correcting any resultant runoff problems.

The supervisors passed a COVID-19 protection policy in an effort to guide measures to keep township employees and facilities safe.