At the Oct. 26 East Allen Township Board of Supervisors workshop meeting, the board granted conditional final approval of the Northampton Area School District Route 329 elementary school and education center project by adopting resolution 2023-22.

The project includes building a new elementary school, IT department and administration building on the 90-acre school district-owned land at Route 329 and Seemsville Road, East Allen Township.

Maggie Kemp, a former NASD school board member and former East Allen supervisor, read a prepared statement criticizing the selection of the site and development and planned construction of the school, citing a focus on children safety. She questioned if proper environmental testing, air quality and traffic studies were completed to ensure the health and safety of the students.

“What has East Allen Township done to help our children’s safety?” Kemp asked. “We are plagued with warehouse construction. This is definitely not a safe place to build a school.”

Kemp suggested there may be “thousands of tractor-trailer traffic (around the school). Do not build a school in an unsafe place.”

After Kemp’s statement, Terry DeGroot, president of Terraform Engineering, noted the project was proceeding as planned. He requested the $365,072 recreation and open space fee assessed by East Allen Township be delayed if possible and only be used if deemed necessary. The fee is one of the conditions for approval.

Board Chair Roger Unangst said he “changed his mind after reflecting on the issue” and did not support the request. The board agreed with Unangst and did not grant the requested relief.

DeGroot asked if a $5 million escrow for the project could be amended to avoid a bank line of credit by NASD, but rather have the district pay to cover township costs as they arise. De-Groot said the $5 million escrow would be a burden on the school district. The board took no action on this request, compelling NASD to post the escrow.

In other business, supervisors tabled a requested waiver of Chapter 212, SALDO review, for First Regional Compost Authority, 6701 Weaversville Road. FRCA wants to build a small storage area and enlarged office space at its Weaversville facility.

The board approved resolution 2023-21, which dedicates a right of way on Snowdrift Road for the Compass Business Center East Land development plan.

The board considered and agreed to the sale of a 2022 Ford E-450 ambulance to Northampton Regional EMS for $100,000.

The board received a proposal for core samples for Township Line Road in the amount of about $7,000. Township Manager Brent Green received board permission to seek additional bids not to exceed $7,500.

The board unanimously appointed Attorney Frank Devito to the volunteer role as alternate to the township zoning hearing board.

Green presented a draft of the 2024 township budget summary, with a projected no-tax hike budget. He noted he will present a detailed budget draft at the next meeting.

The next East Allen supervisors meeting is 7 p.m. Nov. 8 at the municipal building, 5344 Nor-Bath Blvd. It is a hybrid meeting, with both in-person and virtual options. Visit eatwp.org for the access numbers to view the meeting virtually.