By SARIT LASCHINSKY

Special to The Press

Proposed changes to North Whitehall’s SALDO and the acquisition of a historic locomotive were some of the main topics of discussion at the township’s Aug. 2 in-person supervisors’ meeting.

During the public comment period, Planning Commission Chairman Brian Horwith said that at a previous planning meeting, it was discovered when a subdivision or land development project is being done in the township, there is currently no requirement to notify adjoining landowners.

Horwith said the township currently has requirements to notify adjoining properties when there is a zoning action or when a project comes before the zoning hearing board.

He said North Whitehall extending this requirement to land development items in order to properly inform residents and get them engaged.

He recommended creating an addendum to the SALDO making it incumbent on applicants or developers to notify adjoining property owners “and adjoining property owners of these adjoiners,” about any proposed subdivision or land development, “even at the sketch plan stage.”

Horwith’s proposal also recommends relevant properties be posted with appropriate signage to inform residents.

Township Manager Chris Garges noted these notices would be one-time deals, sent out the first time a development is presented to the township, after which the burden will be on adjoining property owners to get informed on the projects.

Supervisors unanimously authorized the proposed SALDO amendment text be forwarded to the planning commission for review.

Additionally, in his manager’s report, Garges said he has been working with Ironton Rail Trail liaison Ray Deutsch and the trail commission on a $10,000 grant application, which had been submitted by the township a month before.

He told the board the IRT has the opportunity to accept a donation of a locomotive previously used by the Dragon Cement Company.

He said there was no fee to acquire the engine under the condition it gets moved from its current location in Texas to North Whitehall.

Garges said the proposed location for the locomotive would be in the area of Portland Street and Quarry Street, where there is an existing piece of train.

He said the matter was coming before the board because it was still unclear whether the township would receive the grant funding.

Garges said they wanted to ensure that even if no grant is received, the IRT could still get the process of moving the locomotive underway.

He also said Deutsch had been working with some volunteers and Ironton Auto Body to possibly restore the 20-ton locomotive to its formal glory.

The board approved the proposed motion to reimburse the IRT up to $15,000, if the grant is not received.

Under announcements, Secretary Brenda Norder announced the township offices will be closed Sept. 6 due to the Labor Day holiday, and the September supervisors’ meeting will be 7:30 p.m. Sept. 13.

Solicitor Lisa Young announced an executive session had been held just before the meeting to discuss personnel matters.

Under new business, supervisors granted preliminary land development to the Kornfeind Realty Apartments plan, which proposes the construction of 13 apartment units along Old Post Road.

Supervisor Dennis Klusaritz noted that at a previous meeting the applicant said an alleged violation had been raised regarding the project’s stormwater management.

However, both Klusaritz and township engineer Steve Gitch said upon further investigation no evidence of any violation had been found.

We’re going to make note that it’s on the record ... there was no violation with the stormwater,” Klusaritz concluded.

A request from the Ridings at Parkland development to reduce the project’s letter of credit was also heard.

The board approved the release of $153,239.53 from the letter, leaving a remaining balance of $618,704.20.

Norder also announced the inclusion of 17.124 acres along Bellview Road into the township’s agricultural security area.

She said the proposal was received in February and the 180-day waiting period had passed, thus no board vote was required on the matter.

Garges also reported the township parks and recreation board had seen two resignations since their last meeting.

In turn, supervisors approved the appointment of Melissa Uff to take the place of Kristen Taylor until Dec. 31, 2022, and for Daniel Devine to fill the unexpired term of Amy Long until Dec. 31, 2023.

Additionally in his report, Garges said a request had been received from a Timber Ridge resident to remove a deaf child sign from their property since the family of the child had moved out of the area.

The board approved the request, on the condition staff send letters to nearby property owners letting them know the child has moved away before taking down the sign.

Garges also reported he met with PennDOT’s bridge unit regarding the replacement of the Coffeetown Road Bridge.

He was still trying to coordinate with PennDOT, the Lehigh Valley Transportation Study and state Sen. Pat Browne, R-16th’s office to get in line for an earlier replacement.

Garges said PennDOT had originally estimated a $500,000-600,000 replacement cost, but added while the construction cost is still in this range, adding on design and permitting costs would push the price over $1 million.

Furthermore, Garges announced a meeting to go over the information received from the township’s comprehensive plan surveys would take place Oct. 6, 12, or 13, with the date to be finalized in the near future, and he said the meeting would be properly advertised at that time.

Lastly, Garges said he spoke with Gilmore and Associates, the firm conducting the township’s comprehensive plan update, regarding updates to the township’s zoning ordinance.

He said the zoning ordinance currently dates back to 2002 and does not address new warehouse development technology, such as cold storage or vertical warehousing.

Garges said Gilmore provided a review and recommendations for potential ordinance updates to account for these new trends.

He said this work would be done in advance of the township’s future zoning ordinance rewrite, which will take place in a few years once the comprehensive plan update is completed.

He asked for the board’s authorization to move forward with Gilmore’s review and recommendations, on the condition the price quote for the future ordinance rewrite be reduced.

The board approved the authorization.