During the July 15 South Whitehall board meeting, commissioners heard a presentation from Mike Schober of Arro Consulting regarding the interim Act 537 Plan required by the Department of Environmental Protection.

Director of Township Operations Randy Cope said the plan was required because of capacity concerns at the Kline’s Island Wastewater Treatment Plant.

The concerns are a result of the heavy rainfalls from August 2018-July 2019, the wettest 12-month period in a century.

Cope said the plant is currently permitted for 40 million gallons per day, but during this period the limits were exceeded for three consecutive months, triggering a regional permit violation.

He also noted the DEP is working with Allentown, the Lehigh County Authority and the discharging signatories to develop a regional approach to address existing infrastructure.

Schober said while Kline’s Island was technically overloaded, it continued to meet its effluent limits and the plant can handle more flow than it is permitted for.

He also noted the interim plan need provide corrective action for the next five years, and will include several steps including a paper rerate of the Kline’s Island plant, addressing issues with undersized pipework and other restrictions in the Trexlertown Interceptor and agreements by municipalities to continue implementing their respective inflow/infiltration source reduction programs.

Schober also said over the next five years, the LCA will develop the long-term Act 537 plan, which will be brought to the board around 2025.

He also noted that the current interim plan is up for consideration by all regional municipalities, and that he hoped to get all adoptions completed by mid-September in order to submit the plan to DEP for approval.

Cope said a resolution on the interim plan will be presented to the board in August.

Under ordinances, the commissioners approved a request to advertise amendments to specific sections of the township’s zoning ordinance to allow for an increase in the maximum heights for residential buildings from 35 feet to 40 feet.

Additionally, the board approved a 60-day extension of conditional approval regarding a SALDO waiver for the Dorney Park Project 2020 Plan, which proposes replacing the existing Island Water Works attraction with a similar, updated attraction on 0.3 acres of property at 3830 Dorney Park Road.

In his statistics report, Police Chief Glen Dorney said township police responded to 914 calls for service last month, down from 1,174 in 2019.

The largest category was EMS calls, with 222.

In the crime reports, Dorney reported there were 69 crimes reported in June, down from 127 in 2019.

He also noted the number of arrests, 28, is also down from last year.

Furthermore, during the correspondence period Morgan noted that the Volunteer Fire Subcommittee met in July and were continuing discussions about the incentives plan and the associated modifications.

Township Manager Renee Bickel noted discussion for Woodlawn Fire Department’s Engine 2312 replacement are ongoing, with the department continuing to piece together specifications and bids.

Under discussion items, Dorney discussed a streetlight petition application for 27th Street between Highland and Penn streets, and said a request for investigation was received in reference to the lighting along the road.

He said Officer Jason Grozier performed an assessment in the area which deemed the lighting insufficient, and rozier’s report included suggestions for replacing streetlights, installing new lights on one or both sides of the street, and recommendations for eco-friendly LED lights that increased brightness while also preventing light disturbance to the surrounding area.

The board approved a motion to have staff work with PPL to install the necessary lights.

Lastly, during the public comment period the board heard a presentation from Abe and Priya Atiyeh, from The Manors of the Valley, and their attorney, Bill Erdman, regarding the rezoning of an “orphan property” at 900 South Hillview Road near the boundary line with Lower Macungie Township.

Erdman said the Atiyehs were proposing to put part of an assisted living campus on the 3-acre property and asked the board to consider rezoning the area from R3 to R5 zoning, which allows for assisted living facilities.

He also asked that the request be viewed differently than other zoning changes because of the unique location of the orphan track and said the change would have little or no impact on the area.

Priya Atiyeh described the proposed property as similar to the existing Parkland Manor and said the campus would be a one-floor facility with three levels of care - personal care, care-plus and memory care.

The commissioners voiced their approval of the Atiyehs’ presentation and agreed to allow the proposal to be sent along to township staff for deeper review, as well as a potential future recommendation for a zoning modification.