It was a standing-room-only crowd at the Aug. 11 Lehigh Township supervisors meeting as residents waited to discuss the open space land preservation item on the agenda. In the end, the preservation was voted down.

Supervisor Janet Sheats began the discussion.

“I make a motion to not move forward with open space land preservation at this time,” she said.

Supervisor Cindy Miller seconded the motion.

“We are going to do this orderly,” board Vice President Jerry Pritchard said. “If you want to speak, you will come up front, if you are able, state your name and address because this lady (pointing at township Manager Alice Rehrig) gives us the minutes, so we need to slow it down.”

Pritchard ran the meeting because board President Mike Jones was absent due to a reported family emergency.

“I’m sure the room has questions,” Pritchard continued. “This is not a debate class. Please try your best to direct to us. We have exhausted many meetings on this. The public has the right to speak.”

“I want to direct a question to the audience,” Zach Szoke said. “By show of hands, how many people are for land preservation?”

About half of those in the room raised their hands.

“Again, why are the people that are for this not allowed to vote? The supervisors are choosing to not let the residents vote,” he added.

At previous meetings, Szoke advocated for the item as a ballot referendum.

Szoke asked Pritchard, “If you believe everyone has the right to vote, why aren’t you pushing the others to do the right thing?”

“Because they have the right to vote their own way,” Pritchard said.

When Szoke asked Sheats why she changed her mind about preservation, she answered, “Because information on your PowerPoint was wrong. You said it would reduce crime, reduce money that is put into the fire company. That is not true.

“There are 10,000 people a year that go to the Blue Mountain,” she continued. “They are not residents. We have three main routes through Lehigh Township. I did not know kids would be taxed also.”

Members of the audience yelled out, “If you don’t like what’s happening, vote them out of office.”

Someone else shouted, “I tell you what is going on here; there is a conflict of interest.”

Solicitor Dave Backenstoe said, “Zach, are you done? If so, please sit down. We need order in this meeting.”

After another 15 minutes of arguing from the audience, Pritchard said to Sheats, “What is your motion?”

Sheats replied, “I make a motion not to move forward with land preservation.”

Miller said, “I second it.”

Voting favor of the motion were Dave Hess, Miller and Sheats. Pritchard voted no.

Another item on the agenda regarded limiting residents to five minutes each during public comment.

Szoke said, “You want to do this just because of land preservation.”

Miller disagreed, noting other municipalities also have time limits.

“We need to implement something,” Miller said. “We need to have order in our meetings.”

Sheats noted they tried to do it about four years ago.

Pritchard said nothing has been decided.

Sheats said, “We can take a look at my ideas and discuss next time. I will have attorney Backenstoe take a look at it.”