The Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners granted a waiver for the installation of sidewalks on a steeply sloped property located at the South Sixth Street Extension, which fronts MacArthur Road. The Sept. 10 decision is a turnaround from an earlier workshop meeting when it seemed a majority on the board insisted sidewalks be constructed.

Commissioners Clair Hunsberger and Philip Ginder voted in support of installing the sidewalks. Commissioners Paul Geissinger, Dennis Hower, President Linda Snyder, Thomas Slonaker and Gerard Palagonia voted in support of the sidewalk waiver.

Rebecca Krisico, of North Wales and co-owner of the properties at 1049 and 1065 MacArthur Road, claimed hardship and pleaded with the board to waive the sidewalk requirement on 510 feet of frontage along the southwest side of the North Sixth Street extension.

Attorney Joseph Piperato and engineer Chris Kerkusz of Martin H. Schuler Co., of Allentown, argued in support of the waiver.

Krisico, a partner with Hiko, is in the process of selling the property which houses Peaceable Kingdom whose representative said they have secured a permanent location for their pet operations, along with a pizza shoppe.

Piperato said there is no objection by the owner to construct curbing, which was later approved by the commissioners.

At an earlier workshop session, Slonaker cited pedestrian safety for his reason for installing sidewalks. Palagonia noted such improvements should be extended beyond the property in question. Slonaker pondered for awhile before voting for the waiver.

"It's time to clean the place up down there, make it presentable," Ginder said. He also noted the road is a major access area to the township and contended the property was akin to "a jungle."

"This is a total waste of money," Geissinger added. He said at some point in the future if the South Sixth Street Extension is widened and improved, the sidewalks would be covered with dirt, as would a retaining wall if constructed on the site.

Piperato and Kerkusz said the property is wooded and severely sloped. The existing trees and vegetation cover the steep slope and slow storm water runoff and erosion from the site. Extensive grading would have to be performed if sidewalks are ordered.

In addition, there was mention that the construction of sidewalks would cause pedestrians to walk along MacArthur Road to the end of the sidewalk and then be forced to cross Sixth Street without the aid of a traffic light or crosswalk.