Attorney Robert Rust presented a brief history of the Spring Creek Properties development appeal at the April 4 Lower Macungie Township Board of Commissioners meeting.

In 2010, a group of citizens joined together to fight this development. David Jaindl, owner of the property and president of the Jaindl Land Development, sought solutions by seeking to talk to the appellants.

Plan B, a smaller development, was proposed only upon termination of the appeal which has occurred with agreement by the appellants to not speak out privately or publicly about the project.

Rust said positive aspects have come out of this process. Jaindl listened to the residents and made note traffic along the rural roads was a big concern. He proposed to use the railroad.

Residents were also concerned about stormwater. Rust said there will be a focus making sure this will not be a problem.

Another concern was the use of farm land for commercial and industrial purposes and the excessive residential area. The newer development has residential area open land that will not be developed.

Attorney Joseph Zator thanked the board for their efforts in resolving this conflict.

Jane Fretz, a resident who has spoken out in the past, commended the efforts of the appellants. "The 3-year fight resulted in Plan B. Plan B is an improvement but still not good. Warehouses are the problem. They are prolific. The board should have hit the 'pause' button. The $135,000 legal fees are the result of the board's management of this issue."

The settlement agreement motion was made by Commissioner Roger Reis with a second by Commissioner Douglas Brown. The vote was unanimous with the absence of Commissioner James Lanscek.

Constance Moyer, one of the appellants, released a statement about the situation. "Our fight has not been in vain. Although we were not able to get rid of the warehouses in Mr. Jaindl's plan, much was changed during these years of conflict. So many people were upset by the first plan presented that we had to try to stop it. In the interim, Mr. Jaindl had time to rethink his plan and present a more 'community friendly' plan. Perhaps if our commissioners had done some negotiating with Mr. Jaindl years ago, there would have been no need for this lengthy and costly fight. With some negotiating, we have had some of our concerns addressed and feel that we have done as much as we can. We thank all the 'Friends of Lower Macungie' and those that supported us."

Attorney Mike Murray, representing Mescolotto and Gatti, owners of the property at Quarry and Spring Creek Road, spoke about their concerns for the impact on this property with approval of the Spring Creek project. There have already been issues with road widening with poles being moved and other changes.

Ron Beitler, candidate for LMT Commissioner, thanked the appellants for what they did. Beitler also appreciated Jaindl's interest in listening to the residents and commented on the project's size. "It is one square mile in size. You could put Alburtis in the middle of it with area left over."

Zator said the Spring Creek properties and the Gail Mescolotto and Robert Gatti properties are completely unrelated. "This is totally disconnected."

Commissioner Ryan Conrad said this has been a tough couple of years. Commissioner Roger Reis said he was "disappointed in the animosity." Reis blames the appellants for this.

Christopher Greb, with the Macungie Ambulance Corp., shared statistics from the year 2012. Greb said there were 3,085 emergency calls and 30 special operation calls (special operations include fires, mass casualities, hazardous material situations, searches, police incidents and special deployment to another area). There is ongoing CPR and first aid training.

Patient surveys indicated there was over 90 percent rating in response time, courtesy to patient and family and comfort of the ambulance. Three of those areas are over 95 percent. Patient surveys also showed there was over a 90 percent rating in elimination of pain and distress. The ratings also indicated there was knowledge of care and good vehicle handling with an overall approval for their experience.

The Willow Lane Elementary School walking plan was discussed. There is no approval presently within the township while all the details are finalized. Presently the plans call for flashing lights on Mill Creek Road and Willow Lane. ADA ramps are to be added as well as textured crosswalks. Crossing guards are to be hired which will be a joint effort with the school district.

The plan is for students to walk to school who live within a .75 mile radius. The number of buses at Willow Lane Elementary School will be reduced to eight.

The Phase 3 pathway is to begin. This pathway will connect the already constructed paths around the township building and community center. It will close the loop and aid people in getting to the community center. There were five bids received with Kuhns and Anthony Paving being awarded the bid in the amount of $35,783.85.

Microsurfacing was awarded to Asphalt Maintenance Solutions in the amount of $172,434.29. Certain bituminous pavement and crushed stone material was awarded to Eastern Industries in the amount of $357,951.25 and to Martin Stone Quarries in the amount of $18,075.00.

The E-3 emulsion asphalt was awarded to Asphalt Paving Systems in the amount of $10,755.00. Seal coat equipment rental was awarded to Asphalt Paving Systems in the amount of $16,390 and the crack seal and poly patch bid was awarded to Asphalt Maintenance Solutions in the amount of $66,350.

The Wild Cherry Lane dam was approved for removal. It will be removed by township workers.

The Church Lane bridge is closer to being fixed. Construction should begin shortly for the current repairs that are needed.