An update on the proposed community center and an animal control ordinance on exotic animals were discussed at the April 14 Weisenberg Township Board of Supervisors meeting.

Brian Carl, township manager, began the discussion on the updated community center floor plan drawings with a slideshow presentation.

He said what’s on the screen is essentially the same room sizes that they were always planning just a different configuration.

“One of the residents is donating the fireplace and surround and we have an area for a small free library that’s kind of what we’re running with,” Carl stated. “Conestoga is finalizing some numbers; they should have some revised pricing back to us in the next couple of weeks and in a perfect world we’ll have some solid numbers for us to go over then.”

Tony Werley, vice chairman, during the presentation asked Carl what the updated over-all length and width of the community center will be?

Carl responded.

“Well the turf area, I think we’re at 180 feet in width which will go parallel with the Route 863 and then it comes out roughly 140 feet in length,” Carl stated. “The main area here is probably about 100 feet.”

Werley confirmed with Carl 180 feet by 100 feet total?

“Yes, it is an L but it includes the no-man’s-land,” Carl answered. “We’re somewhere in the neighborhood of 17,000 square feet. With the community center now getting further along we’re meeting with a bunch of different people that want to do functions there and stuff. Jeff and Ellen Broadhurst and myself have been visiting a bunch of these places and we kind of thought it was time that we start up a little committee. You guys would still have all the control and everything it’s really just like an advisory committee that would be able to figure out what activities we want to do here, how we are going to do it, things like that to get some other input.

He said ideally he thought they should probably have someone from NYAA because they’re going to oversee the kids section of it, someone for the free library section and someone from the Environmental Advisory Council, Weisenberg-Lowhill Historical Society, it would be people like that and maybe a few others that are interested in willing to put some effort into it.

After further discussion, the board said they were OK with the township forming the committee.

The board also discussed a motion to advertise draft ordinance 2025-5, an animal control ordinance on exotic animals under new business.

“This came up as a situation and it will actually have an appeal I believe next month or the following month, we didn’t get the application yet on the animal,” Carl stated. “It’s something that we didn’t specifically address in our zoning ordinance. The application was denied based on the definition of our accessories, so we have some regulations in there for if you want to have exotic animals at your house, venomous snakes, lions, tigers and bears literally things like that so that we would prohibit those specifically. If you are OK with that we will advertise that for adoption next week.”

Linda Gorgas, chairman, asked Carl what exotic animal was in question.

“Someone would like a cheetah,” he stated. “The application was denied but it sounds like we’ll see that on an appeal to the zoning hearing board.”

After further discussion and Carl defined what an exotic animal is and the new ordinance would address the thing like what happened down the street in Upper Macungie with the snake a motion was made and approved to advertise Draft Ordinance 2025-5, an animal control ordinance on exotic animals.

Under old business, the board approved Ordinance 2025-4 to reduce the speed limit on Sweitzer Road to 25 miles an hour.

They also discussed the Wisenberg Park pavilion grant update transfer location to Seipstown Road Park.

“So I reached out to PA Department of Community and Economic Development, one of two grants we had. One was an Local Share Account grant and the other was a Keystone Community grant. One of them could get transferred over, the other one they won’t transfer over. One is $23,604 and the other one is $23,603,” Carl stated. “I have a question into them if we can make a smaller pavilion maybe one without the little shed on the side that we were planning like we have with our Bachelor Road one. I am just waiting to hear back from them but it sounds like they’re going to be OK with that.

He closed by telling the board the township could just do a smaller pavilion unless they want to do something bigger, they would just have to pay the difference.