After hearing concerns at a previous meeting from board Vice President Glenn Block about safety issues associated with a tanker truck parking on Office Center Road, South Whitehall commissioners asked township Manager Howard Kutzler to find some options regarding the issue.

At the Sept. 16 meeting, Kutzler provided two choices to consider.

One option would be an ordinance to prohibit truck parking specifically on Office Center Road.

The alternative would be to develop a comprehensive ordinance prescribing where trucks and other large vehicles may park in the township.

Kutzler prepared a draft ordinance for the Office Center Road situation but said an ordinance covering truck parking for all of South Whitehall would take a few months.

Block, whose business at 1651 N. Cedar Crest Blvd. overlooks Office Center Road, favored the prohibition of truck parking on the thoroughfare.

“There’s immediate safety concerns in that area,” Block said. “We know we have a problem.

“We have a duty to our citizens and the public to act on that.”

He expressed concerns about the safety of people coming and going to the LifeSpan day care center and the Coordinated Health facility served by Office Center Road.

“It opens us to liability just knowing this is a danger,” he said. “Why don’t we just vote on it?”

Other board members wanted to devote more attention to the entire truck parking issue.

Board President Christina Tori Morgan commented.

“Are we looking at the overall picture?” Morgan asked. “The truck could just go to some other place to park.”

Commissioner David Bond reported Upper Macungie Township has a big problem with tractor trailers parking along public roads.

As soon as they restrict parking on one street, the trucks find another place to go, Bond said.

“Let’s make sure we dot our I’s and cross our T’s before we do this,” he added.

“Let’s give the truck driver a chance to look for another place,” Commissioner Thomas Johns said.

“Let’s personally reach out to the person,” Bond suggested.

Bryan Panella, who hauls plastic pellets in the tanker parked along Office Center Road, was present at the meeting but did not speak on the matter.

Block proposed moving forward with advertising for the site specific ordinance to ban truck parking on Office Center Road.

Johns joined Block in voting in favor while Commissioner Dale Daubert, Bond and Morgan voted no.

“Let’s look at the topic universally for the township,” Morgan said.

Kutzler said the issue will be taken on as a project with research, meetings and discussions among staff, commissioners and the community.