40¢
70th Year, Issue No. 33 USPS 248-700
AUGUST 18-24, 2011 A General Circulation Newspaper Serving The Community Since 1942
SERVING BATH, CHAPMAN, NORTHAMPTON, NAZARETH BOROS; ALLEN, E. ALLEN, MOORE, LEHIGH, BUSHKILL, LOWER NAZARETH & UPPER NAZARETH TWPS.
Lehigh Township Supervisors told They acted incorrectly with ordinance By BILL HALBFOERSTER The Home News
Longtime Bath residents Carol, Viola, Mayor Don Wunderler, Kathryn, Phyllis, Bobby, Diana, Becky and Dorothy celebrate opening of Anniversary store. – Home News photos
Countdown is on for Bath anniversary
The Bath 275th Anniversary Committee kicked off the official start of the 1-year countdown to the 275th Anniversary celebration on Saturday, August 13. FeFe from the IronPigs joined for the kickoff festivities. Dignitaries included State Representative Marcia Hahn, Bath Mayor Donald Wunderler, Council President Bobby Fields and council members Jennifer George and Mike Reph. The Bath 275th Anniversary Store is located at East Main St in Bath. Committee co-chairs Fiorella Mariabito and Barry Fenstermaker along with all committee members are busy planning a weeklong celebration that will run August 1218, 2012. Concert Sunday Mary Pritchett, a former music teacher from the Nazareth Area School District and a volunteer soloist for Gracedale, will give a solo concert on Sunday, August 21, at 4:00 PM in St. John’s Lutheran Church, 206 East Main Street, Bath. Also performing will be Wayne Mery and Susan Cervin. The concert will feature Broadway favorites including songs from The Sound of Music, 110 in the Shade, Les Miserables, The Phantom of the Opera, and the movie Romeo and Juliet as well as other favorites, both sacred and secular. Activities currently being planned for 2012 are a parade
and fireworks show, a Miss Bath pageant, an ecumenical church celebration in the park, a concert by the 275th Anniversary Chorus, many children’s events and activities and much more. Continued on page 13
What started out as a routine meeting, turned into a verbal debate as the chairman of the Lehigh Township Zoning Hearing Board told the Board of Supervisors they enacted an ordinance without proper procedures and for one business. Catherine Mack of the ZHB said the board created an ordinance that isn’t valid. She said they never went to the Planning Commission or Zoning Officer Laura Harrier, and instead went ahead and enacted an ordinance that approved changes in hours for the McAuliffe hauling company along Timberline Road, along with its expansion. Chairman Darryl Snover said the ordinance was discussed at a number of meetings and was advertised. Supervisor Dell Grove chal-
lenged Ms. Mack to put her objections in writing and her concerns with the ordinance, so that the solicitor can review what she said. Ms. Mack wants the board to repeal the ordinance. She quoted court decisions, and other items that she said would not allow such an ordinance to be created. In part of her arguments, she read minutes of the July 26 Supervisors meeting in which the McAuliffe ordinance was questioned. This is the substance of that section of the minutes: “Len Steigerwalt of 4825 Timberline Road commented that he became aware of the expansion of the McAuliffe facility and he attended a Planning Committee meeting and learned that through Ordinance 2010-9 they are able to work 18-1/2 hours per day, five days per week and
12 hours on a Saturday. He is wondering what was the catalyst for this ordinance and how it came about. Darryl Snover commented that it was by request of the company. Brian Moser commented that it was by the previous owner before they sold the property. Keith Hantz commented that one of the reasons was so that they could get their trucks out before the school buses are on the road. Mr. Steigerwalt commented that they are now allowed to operate 18-1/2 hours per day. Previously, they were only operating 13 hours from 4:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. “The Chairman of the Zoning Hearing Board (Mrs. Mack) did not know of this ordinance until this month when McAuliffe put it under her nose at the meeting. Continued on page 9
HOLDING RIBBON are committee members Imogene Kresge, Marcia Hahn, Rebecca Miklas, Viola Wesner, Bobby Fields, Barry Fenstermaker, Mayor Don Wunderler, Fiorella Mirabito, Jan Bensing, Tiffany Yob, with FeFe, and Kathy Hayes
21 projects in LVCC ‘Main Street Lehigh Valley’ grants The Chamber Foundation awarded 21 Community Improvement grants to assist 17 municipalities with their community revitaliza-
tion efforts. This investment includes contributions from the Chamber’s Small Business Council ‘Snow Ball’ gala and from the first of a three year commitment of $50,000 a year from the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation. Because many loans and grants require a ‘match’ in order for a community to secure dollars for their projects, these grants help to fill that need. In this round alone we expect to leverage almost $2 million of invest-
ment in our downtowns. The funds were granted by the Chamber Foundation’s Main Street Lehigh Valley Initiative to projects that will improve every main street in the Lehigh Valley through targeted investments in façade improvements, streetscape designs, sidewalk beautification, and other enhancements to the physical appearance of our downtowns and urban centers. This is the fourth time that the Foundation has of-
fered this funding assistance through its Main Street Lehigh Valley initiative. In the past three rounds, nearly $100,000 of Chamber Foundation funds has contributed to almost $1 million in investments. This round of grants more than doubles the investment leveraged by the first three rounds. List of projects funded include: Alburtis – Streetscape EnContinued on page 5