The Lehigh and Northampton Transportaton Authority (LANTA) approached Hanover Township officials recently to request some changes to Catasauqua Road bus stops.

Township Manager Sandra Pudliner shared with council at the Oct. 2 council meeting a request to make improvements to the bus stops at the Bethlehem Diner and Valley View Plaza. The stops are on opposite sides of Catasauqua Road.

LANTA is requesting improvements to allow passengers to cross the street, Pudliner said.

Township Engineer Fredrick Hay suggested the potential expense and liability are major concerns. Hay did not recommend the Township offer assistance.

Councilman William Kovacs agreed.

"That bus stop has been there for 20 years and there has never been a problem," he said.

Township Solicitor Jackson Eaton suggested a compromise could be to have the bus stop in the shopping center parking area.

"People are not taking the bus to get to the diner," he said. "The destination is the mall. Putting the stop in there could be a solution."

Councilman Randall Atkinson indicated LANTA is not often in favor of making a change in a bus stop location because it might increase the time of the bus route.

Pudliner said she will present council's options and concerns to LANTA.

Also at the meeting, Pudliner reported the township met with representatives of the Rockefeller Group and received a copy of a traffic study the developer prepared.

"I told them that [Township Engineer] Fred [Hay] would review along with the solicitor," she said.

The Rockefeller Group has proposed building a distribution center in Allen Township. Access to the proposed distribution center would be via Race Street and Willowbrook Road in the township.

Traffic in the municipalities surrounding the development is a concern and the study was meant to identify potential local traffic bottlenecks.

Budget hearings for drafting a 2014 township buget are scheduled for Mondays at 4 p.m. in the municipal building, beginning Oct. 21 and continuing through the month of November or until the budget is approved.

The 2014 budget must be presented for public comment by Dec. 15.

As part of the township's road program, the parking lot at the municipal building is now completed. Hay reported that repairs to Grove Road will start later this month.

Hay also asked council to grant an easement to the Lehigh Valley International Airport for underground water detention. The airport is making end-of-the-runway safety improvements and needs access to the back portion of the triangular parcel where the Han-Le-Co Fire Station sits. Council asked the solicitor to prepare the documents to grant the easement.

Pudliner also asked council to approve trick-or-treat night for Friday, Oct. 25.