The Hanover Township Council has set a date for an information session with the Rockefeller Group, developers of the proposed FedEx hub in Allen Township.

Township Manager Sandra Pudliner made the announcement at the council's May 21 township council meeting.

The Rockefeller Group was hired by international shipping company FedEx to construct a large warehouse hub in neighboring Allen Township. It is expected to draw heavy traffic into the area, especially on Route 22, Airport Road, Race Street and Willowbrook Road in Hanover Township.

The Allen Township Planning Commission is currently reviewing the proposal.

The Rockefeller Group meeting is planned as an informational session and no decisions are expected to be made.

The council and Solicitor Jackson Eaton debated if the meeting should be open to the public.

"We are not really seeking public input for the session," said Chairman Bruce Paulus. "I see the meeting as information for the board."

Members of council did not want the session to decay into a gripe session where little or no effective information is exchanged.

Eaton favored opening the meeting to the public, but restricting public comment.

Pudliner will present alternate dates in June to the Rockefeller Group and set the meeting date.

According to Pudliner, the Rockefeller Group has expressed interest in purchasing sewer capacity from the township.

Hanover's wastewater is treated at the Catasauqua treatment plant.

Hanover has a defined capacity allocation at the treatment plant dedicated to the township's needs.

Catasauqua has proposed a more costly direct connection from the proposed FedEx hub to the sewer treatment plant.

According to Catasauqua Borough Manager Eugene Goldfeder, there are capacity limits based on the type of sewage presented for treatment. Goldfeder recommended that FedEx build a pre-treatment plant at its new facility to handle some industrial wastes.

Pudliner said FedEx has added some enhancements not initially in the proposal. Additions include sidewalks along Race Street and a bus stop at the facility.

Councilman Curtis Wegfahrt said he would like to see additional commitments in writing.

Also at the meeting, Eaton reported he received a call from PennDOT on his appeal to release information to the township under the Freedom of Information Act.

Last month the township asked PennDOT for traffic data on ramp access to Route 22. The township planned to further investigate the impact of additional truck traffic generated by the proposed FedEx hub. An earlier report developed by the township and based on released Route 22 data, contended that additional truck traffic would not seriously change the classification of the roadway. The traffic engineers wanted to look at ramp traffic to see if additional delays could gridlock the township at certain hours. PennDOT had responded with an oddly worded response expressing a concern for accident information.

According to Eaton, in his discussions with PennDOT's lawyer, he learned ramp data does not exist. Eaton suggested dropping the appeal.

In other business at the meeting, Linda Hertzog, who owns a parcel of land near Canal Park, expressed interest in selling the land to the township. There had been a building on the property that was destroyed by fire. The township is interested in purchasing the parcel and instructed Pudliner to have the property appraised. If acquired, the plan would be to extend Canal Park and possibly erect a storage area.