A macadam access roadway, located across from Hardcore Ink on Front Street, was the subject of a Catasauqua Borough Council public hearing held at the borough municipal complex Sept. 10.

The council considered whether to take over the roadway and place the 80-foot-long strip on the official borough map. The roadway was once used to access the main gate at the old Fuller Plant.

Attorney Daniel McCarthy represented FL Smidth at the hearing. No other property owners with an interest in the roadway appeared at the hearing and there were no objections.

The former Fuller property, now owned by FL Smidth, is a brownfield and under review for possible sale to a developer. However, the legal property descriptions for the various parcels do not specifically identify this access roadway as belonging to any parcel.

During the hearing, the developer questioned whether the use of the access road would pass to the new owner and asked FL Smidth to address the status of the access point.

According to McCarthy, the best way to accomplish unrestricted use of the access road would be to turn it over to the borough as a public street. The roadway does provide access to a public gravel parking area along Front Street.

The developer contends without clarification on the use of the access road, the property could be landlocked with no access on the north end of the tract. McCarthy asked that the borough take possession of the street and name it Bridge Street.

McCarthy argued in his presentation that a street once existed in the area and provided access to a depot for the Central New Jersey Railroad. He said he had hired Robert Piligian of Bascon & Sieger to survey the roadbed and determine its history.

"At one time there was a public street to the railroad, but that access ended before 1960," said Piligian.

Councilman Alfred Regits verified Piligian's claim. Piligian testified that there are no records in existence showing the borough has ever officially recognized the street.

"This may have been something that just fell through the cracks," he said. "We can clear up the records now."

"There is virtually no other access to the property until you get to the south end," Piligian further explained. "There is a retaining wall along Front Street that ranges in height from three feet to as high as 20 feet."

He claimed that denying access on the north end of the tract would render the property unfit for development.

Council President Brian Bartholomew objected to the designation.

"These problems arise and then council is pushed to take immediate action," he said. "This should have been resolved earlier."

Councilman Vincent Smith, who is chairman of the Planning and Zoning Committee, noted that the problem was identified early in the process and the request has been in committee for five months while the legal details were worked out.

Council passed a motion to incorporate the roadway into the borough by a vote of 5-1 with Bartholomew voting in opposition.

To make the process official, council will need to pass an ordinance accepting the roadway as a street.