At the Hanover Township, Lehigh County, Council meeting Feb. 2, Candy Dannenhower, fire police officer and executive board member, spoke on behalf of Han-Le-Co Fire Company, detailing several complaints against Township Manager Melissa Wehr.

Han-Le-Co Fire Company approached council seeking the release of its match funds check – a payment the township would match up to $15,000 from the fire company’s fundraised earnings. Wehr explained the fire company has not submitted the proper paperwork that is now required under a new township auditor.

The fire company said the new demands have caused morale in the work environment to plummet, and many members have considered quitting due to the stress placed by Wehr’s expectations.

Council members appeared overwhelmed by the heated discussion between Wehr and the fire company. In an effort to settle the matter, they asked fire company representatives to come back with an itemized list of issues, as the discussion during the meeting bounced from problem to problem.

Han-Le-Co will present this list to council during its next meeting, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Feb. 16 at the municipal building, 2202 Grove Road.

Also at the meeting, Lehigh County Executive Phil Armstrong made an appearance to discuss an array of projects in the works for the state of Pennsylvania, including planning regional development and testing out new programs with the police departments.

Armstrong briefly mentioned teaming up with the Allentown Police Department and introducing a program that adds an on-call crisis worker for emergency calls relating to mental health incidents. He said they will be testing programs for the next two years before anything becomes a permanent addition.

In other news, council voted on Resolution No. 2022-24, which proposes the addition of two new warehouses at 1701 Dauphin St. The developer mentioned to the board this was a preliminary plan approval, and they will still need to appear before the planning commission before any work is finally approved.

The developer brought along a sound study expert, specializing in acoustic sound travel, to address noise concerns, as there is a residential property within this zoning area. He was able to convince council that the noise levels would be relatively low, with the developer expecting about 60 trucks passing in and out of the facility per day.

Chairman Bruce Paulus presented 16 conditions to the developer, which were provided ahead of time. The developer agreed to the conditions, and the motion unanimously passed.

Council finished reviewing the items of discussion with Bill No. 2021-11, an ordinance that aims to amend Chapter 27 of the zoning ordinance to require 600 feet of buffer between warehouses and warehousing activities in a planned unit development zoning district.

Vice Chairman Michael Woolley said he was unsure if 600 feet was enough buffering zone but agreed it was an improvement from the existing requirement of 50 feet, as read in the zoning chapter. Council passed the bill unanimously.

Township Engineer Al Kortze mentioned the bids for the Chestnut Grove Park’s basketball court have been posted, and he expects to have a list of competitive bids at the March 2 council meeting.

Wehr discussed the water main breaks occurring on Tacoma Street. She is looking to discuss this issue with the city of Bethlehem, and more information is to follow.

Council authorized sending Councilman Robert Heimbecker to the PSATS conference in Hershey April 24-27. This is an annual conference that offers training and networking for township officials and employees.

To view the agenda of the next meeting ahead of time, visit the township website, hanleco.org.