Hanover Council addressed a problem with screening residents from views of the back of the Days Inn at an Aug. 17 council meeting.

At a prior meeting, resident Robin Yoder asked the council to consider creating more privacy for the Chestnut Grove residents. A sewer line in Chestnut Grove had been reworked over the past few months in order to make necessary improvements, but a row of arborvitae trees that had shielded residents from the Days Inn had been removed as part of the process.

The township’s plan called for a 6-foot-high fence to provide privacy in place of the arborvitae. Yoder claimed the new fence was not enough.

Township engineer Albert Kortze presented various alternatives at the Aug. 3 meeting. Council elected to review the options. Yoder wanted to see the arborvitae replaced, saying the roots would not interfere with the sewer line.

“These are urban trees, their root systems only go down 24 inches,” he said. However, the council sided with Kortze, who did not want to see vegetation planted on top of the sewer right-of-way.

As a compromise, the council voted to install an 8-foot vinyl fence along the property line. There is an earthen embankment about 2 feet high along the back of the Days Inn. Kortze committed to making improvements to prevent the embankment from eroding.

Kortze said the cost to install the 8-foot fence will add about $7,000 to the cost of the project, which will still be under budget and will not require additional funds. The standard fence height in the township is 6 feet. The township must get approval from the zoning hearing board to authorize the 8-foot fence.

In other council business, township Solicitor Jackson Eaton reported the Lehigh Valley International Airport has requested tax abatement on 23 land parcels it owns.

There was some question from council on the validity of the request, as most of the parcels are unimproved land. The acting township manager reported the township’s tax revenues from the parcels were around $500.

The Catasauqua School District may have an issue with the lost revenues. Eaton explained the airport cannot land bank properties, that is, hold them for an unstated future use.

“The properties need to be related to airport operations in some way,” he said. If the properties are sold, the exemption would be negated.

The council elected to defer its decision.

Eaton also reported Logan’s Roadhouse corporate entity filed for bankruptcy. Eaton did not think there would be an impact on township revenues. He has no indication of the future status of the restaurant in Airport Center Mall.

In other business, Kortze reported he has started a traffic study for the intersection of Irving Street and Airport Center Road. The intersection is confusing because it is a three-way-stop intersection. The township, at the behest of residents in the nearby apartment complex, would like to see it changed to a standard four-way stop.

Public Works Director Jeffry Mouer reported that PPL has completed its conversion to LED street lights. Yoder, in his role as township code enforcement officer, will do checks during evening and night hours to report any discrepancies.