A question of tax increment financing was brought before the East Penn School District Aug. 13 with the intent to start the discussion rolling on a new development project proposed for the area of the Route 222 bypass immediately adjacent to Krocks Road.

The project, presented by Tim Harrison, a private developer from Staten Island, N.Y., and representatives of the Goldenberg Group of Blue Bell, will create a high-end shopping center anchored by Costco, Target, and ShopRite to name a few, along with a handful of smaller retailers and at least four restaurants.

Stylistically, the shopping center will be similar to the Promenade Shops in Saucon Valley.

The new development is projected to create $1.2 to $1.4 million in real estate tax revenues for the area, not to mention 1,000 jobs for retail and restaurant employees and 400 construction jobs. The proposed area comprises 585,000 square feet of retail space on a 62-acre lot. Currently the property is owned by the Archdiocese of Allentown, and generates about $7,000 a year in real estate taxes.

The school board was approached with the possibility of a TIF to "fill in the gap" of what state grants and other forms of funding would not supply, together with Lehigh County and Lower Macungie Township, the other tax authorities connected to the site.

The Goldenberg Group estimated the cost of the building project at $14 million, but the TIF would be needed to cover less than half of that.

The TIF would help pay for the project by borrowing against future revenues, according to board President Charles Ballard. Taxpayers in the district would not suffer direct tax increases. Rather, the district would use existing tax revenues from the property to help fund the bonds, taking less revenue for a period of time against the projected greater increase in revenue in future.

The school district was only approached Monday evening for consideration of the project and the creation of a committee to first discuss and then organize the TIF. No formal action will be taken yet.

Road improvements to the Route 222 bypass would be necessary, as well as costly remediations on the site itself.

The problem entailed is a geotechnical one, arising mainly from the neglected remains of a Civil War-era iron mine. Some 185,000 cubic yards of soaking sediment fill the abandoned mine holes.

With the consistency of pancake batter, and effectively as strong, the sediment is incapable of supporting any practical weight. Additionally, the material lies atop a large limestone deposit called karst which has slowly been dissolving under the dripping sediment. No dollar amount was given for the cost of compacting the area and making it suitable for construction.

Michael Mohn, director of information technology, unveiled the school district's first app for tablet and smartphone devices. The app pulls information from the district's existing website and makes it accessible to any device with Internet access. Mohn also showed a link on the iTunes store opening a folder specifically for East Penn School District which will one day include student work available for download all over the world. Currently over 100 school districts worldwide participate in the iTunes store.

Among other forward steps in the district's technology, Mohn showed off the new Twitter presence, a series of online safety courses for parents and children, and professional development programs available for faculty and staff on the district's virtual learning environment, Moodle.

The school website now also features PDF versions of report cards and an expanded technology project database. East Penn boasts over 90 percent student population with Internet access, estimated Mohn, and efforts are continually underway to raise awareness of school and library computer access for parents.

"We do have to prepare people for the continual learning of tomorrow," Ballard said on the growing technological innovations of the district.

Compliments and congratulations were offered for the renewal of Dr. Thomas Seidenberger's contract as superintendent for another five years. Vice President Alan Earnshaw mentioned Seidenberger's "depth of care" for students and academics, saying also, "he brings so much energy and so much vitality to the job."

Seidenberger said, "I can't imagine working anywhere else."

Julian Stolz was not complimentary when he again questioned Seidenberger's report regarding busing at Willow Lane Elementary School.

The superintendent had reported safety measures were coming into place including six traffic signs that will surround the school, and a walker's audit with PennDOT to assess the danger of crossing two roads.

Stolz voiced concerns over the dangers of a road where one child had already been hit in the presence of a parent, and why these safety measures had not been done when Willow Lane was opened. Seidenberger claimed responsibility. "I should have addressed this the year before and I didn't."

Earnshaw said the responsibility of teaching children safe practices in crossing the street is with parents, not the school board. Ballard further noted the school district is not legally responsible for providing transportation of any kind, and until children are on school property, their safety is the responsibility of their parents.

East Penn currently has three "walking schools:" Alburtis, Lincoln and Jefferson.

"Our commitment is to work with parents and develop a team framework for making sure our kids are safe," Seidenberger said.