The East Allen Township Board of Supervisors’ Sept. 8 meeting opened with a conditional use hearing.

Atty. C. Steven Miller, solicitor for the Northampton Area School District, introduced witnesses, including NASD Superintendent of Schools Joseph S. Kovalchik and representatives from D’Huy Engineering, KCBA Architects and Terraform Engineering, regarding a request for conditional use approval for the construction of an elementary school at Seemsville Road and Route 329 in the township.

Kovalchik provided a comprehensive overview of the plans for the school. The other witnesses provided more in-depth engineering data and construction processes.

The board of supervisors took no action after the lengthy hearing. The board will continue the hearing at the Oct. 13 meeting so that a resident who owns property adjacent to the land in question can attend to ask questions about the school project. The resident was reportedly ill and missed the Sept. 8 meeting.

In other matters, the supervisors voted to approve Escrow Release 1 in the amount of $36,093.75 for Airport Road lot 1 warehouse project.

The supervisors also voted to release several financial securities for Regency at Creekside Meadows projects.

An authorization for the purchase of a pickup truck for township use was approved, with a cost not to exceed $61,000.

A planning module for a Sunny Slopes Farms major subdivision of sewage facilities was approved by the supervisors.

The board also voted to hire a former seasonal worker as a permanent public works employee.

The open space and farmland preservation effort is advancing. The committee is in promotion mode for activities supporting land preservation. The committee will also be gearing up to pass a May 2022 primary referendum, endorsing the effort to preserve open space and farmland in the township.

The River Central Regional Comprehensive plan includes East Allen and Hanover, Lehigh County, townships and Northampton, Catasauqua and North Catasauqua townships. Surveys were requested of all participating municipalities so residents could provide input into local planning.

Township Manager Brent Green noted East Allen Township has exceeded the requested percentage of residents completing the survey.