At 7:40 p.m. July 25, the Salisbury Board of Commissioners unanimously voted 5-0 for a resolution to approve the Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania land development for Adventure Place at Mountain Home.

Township Commissioner Heather Lipkin made the motion, seconded by board of commissioners Vice President Rodney Conn, to bring the resolution to a vote.

The approval happened approximately four years and eight months after the project at 2638 W. Rock Road, west of the Interstate 78 interchange at Summit Lawn on South Mountain, was first presented at the Salisbury Township Planning Commission Dec. 10, 2019, meeting.

The Girl Scouts’ property is in the CR, Conservation Residential zoning district.

Approximately 25 Summit Lawn residents attended the July 25 meeting with seven expressing concerns about the project during 30 minutes of discussion, comments and questions and answers before the commissioners’ vote.

“One of the neighbors was against it [the Girl Scouts project] and moved,” Jacqueline Straley, a Summit Lawn resident said.

“Does this project set a precedent in the CR residential district for further commercial development?” Tim Briody of Summit Lawn asked.

“This does not set a precedent,” Attorney Jason A. Ulrich, partner, Gross McGinley LLP Attorneys at Law, the Salisbury Township solicitor firm, said.

“This is a unique circumstance,” Ulrich said.

“If we [the township] don’t approve it, we could get into a legal problem and they [the Girl Scouts’ as developer] could sue us [the township.],” Ulrich said.

Jane Benning, a Summit Lawn resident, said she hoped electric lighting emanating at night from the Girl Scouts camp would be adjusted to be less intrusive to her home.

Concerns about the septic system were voiced by Gary Miklus, of Summit Lawn.

There is no public water and sewer service in Summit Lawn. Residents’ homes use well water and septic systems.

A few residents who spoke at the July 25 meeting said they would have their properties’ well water tested before commencement of construction for the project and would have the water quality monitored during and after completion of the project.

Construction is not expected to begin before the end of 2024, Ulrich and Attorney Stephanie A. Kobal, shareholder, Fitzpatrick Lentz & Bubba Attorneys at Law, representing the Girl Scouts said.

The township commissioners’ approval of the project was recommended by a 5-1 vote with one abstention by the Salisbury Township Planning Commission at its March 27 meeting when the project’s sewage facilities planning module was reviewed.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection approved the project’s sewage facilities planning module, required for a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit, in a Feb. 8 letter to township officials.

Township commissioners voted 5-0 at the Sept. 14, 2023, meeting to approve revisions to the project’s sewage module.

The Salisbury Township Zoning Hearing Board voted unanimously 5-0 at its March 9, 2020, third and final zoning hearing on the project, to approve the Girl Scouts’ appeal to construct the building as an expansion of a special exception use and a favorable interpretation to permit an existing cabin to remain as a nonconforming structure.

The zoners’ approval stipulated at least 10 conditions, including: the building is restricted to Girl Scouts’ recreation use and administration of the facility, the Trading Post will operate during camp hours, 10 trees to be cut down must be replaced by 10 trees, the number of Girl Scouts attending the camp is limited to 55 per week, the Girl Scouts will provide a trained safety monitor during camp pickup and drop-off times of Girl Scouts, speed-limit information will be provided to parents-guardians and a lighting plan for the parking lot must be submitted.

Trees would need to be removed for construction of the building, parking lot and septic field.

Township zoners reviewed the project at Feb. 4, 2020 and Feb. 18, 2020 hearings.

The zoning hearings were held before the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown in mid-March 2020.

During 2020, several township meetings were held via the Zoom online format.

Approval of the project’s sewer planning module by the DEP was subject to COVID-related delays, according to township officials.

“It meets all zoning regulations,” Salisbury Township Planning and Zoning Officer Kerry Rabold said, referring to the project in her March 20 review letter presented at the Mach 27 planners’ meeting.

“We would recommend conditional approval,” Engineer David J. Tettemer said, who read from a March 20 review letter about the project at the March 27 planners meeting.

“They [DEP] directed us to use a drip-irrigation system,” Christopher Williams, operations manager, Lehigh Valley Civil Land Development, Barry Isett & Associates Inc., engineer for the Girl Scouts project, said at the March 27 planners’ meeting.

An underground detention basin will be constructed to control stormwater runoff.

What is now known as Mountain House Day Camp is attended by approximately 45 Girls Scouts each week.

Hours for the camp are to be 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekly mid-June to mid-August for several age levels. There will be four to 11 employees.

The Girl Scouts camp has on-site water facilities and no latrine sanitary sewage facilities. There are no indoor bathroom facilities at the camp.

The camp has tent platforms, pavilion, lodge, cabin, garage, kiln, fire pit, additional buildings and a gravel road.

The Girl Scouts has owned the approximate 15.21-acre site and operated it as a private recreation area since 1952. A cabin has been on the property since 1943.