At the April 8 meeting, Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners unanimously approved an apartment building on North Front Street.

The plan proposes an eight-unit apartment building, with one handicap-accessible parking spot, at 3434 N. Front St.

A parking lot with 15 spaces will be created across the street. According to project representatives, there was previous contamination on that site, so it is not suitable for residency.

An ordinance deferring the installation of sidewalks along the frontage of 3434 N. Front St. failed to pass, with a vote of 4-3.

Some board members felt the sidewalks were necessary due to the property’s proximity to the Ironton Rail Trail. Others felt an additional sidewalk wasn’t needed since there are already some on the western sides of North Front and Quarry streets.

In other business, Mike Bender, owner and manager of St. Luke’s Sports Center, discussed a park proposal for Range Road. While no official plans were submitted, the rough idea would be to level the land and create four to six multisport fields, as well as upgrade the sidewalk.

The Range Road fields have been vacant since 2017.

Commissioners accepted a $37,500 bid from Reed Structures to “dismantle and salvage” the partially collapsed Village Green Barn at the corner of Mauch Chunk Road and Schadt Avenue.

The board will next meet 7 p.m. May 6 at the municipal building, 3219 MacArthur Road.