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MARCH 4-10, 2021
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Allen Township St. Luke’s commits to teacher Vaccinations Supervisors explore Improvements to Snow Hill Road Bridge
“It’s like a sigh of relief,” says Richard Orner, Easton High School teacher and track coach. He is pictured with fellow teachers, Sean Haas of Freemansburg Elementary and Kellie King of Saucon Valley Elementary. Submitted by SAMUEL KENNEDY St. Luke's University Health Network is expediting COVID-19 vaccine access to area education employees. "We recognize that getting our schools back to 'normal' is a goal for every parent, teacher and child," states Trevor Micklos, St. Luke's Network Vice President, "Our hope is that by working to vaccinate educators over the next several months, we can ensure that our kids will be 'back to school' as soon as possible." Recently, St. Luke's made the commitment to dedicate weekly vaccine appointments to 78 schools in the region based on
state guided phase requirements. To qualify for expedited access, education employees must meet Pennsylvania's Phase 1a eligibility criteria (age 16-64 with highrisk conditions, or anyone 65 and older) and have indicated their employer on their St. Luke's MyChart account. St. Luke's has committed to providing area school districts with a portion of available appointments while continuing to provide equitable distribution to the remainder of those eligible in Phase 1a. "We want everyone to be vaccinated as quickly as possible," says John Hauth, St. Luke's Senior Network Administrator, "Our only limitation is the amount of
vaccine we get from the state. It's not an instantaneous process, so it is important to remain patient." On a weekly basis, St. Luke's will reach eligible educators with notice of available vaccine appointments. The plan is to increase support for the local education system which is an essential part of the community. St. Luke's hopes to help all schools eventually bring their students back to an in-person learning platform. St. Luke's provides comprehensive health care services, from sports medicine to behavioral health support, to school districts throughout the region.
Nazareth Borough Council Hears resident’s concern about Short-term rental ordinance by JOE KORBA At the March 1 Nazareth Borough Council meeting, the board heard local business owner Patrick McIvor discuss his AirBnB rentals in Nazareth. McIvor, a salon owner and volunteer at the library, owns three properties in the borough that he and his wife rent using the AirBnB online
service. After learning that the borough plans on adopting an ordinance to help curb nuisance rentals in the coming months, McIvor wanted to share his experience. He said that after purchasing a derelict property at 18 North Broad St. and renovating it with the support and occasional help of the neighbors, he is
able to rent it to people who are moving into town, grandparents meeting newborn grandchildren for the first time, and other quiet renters. McIvor emphasized that his rental units are not party houses. “Our guests say that the town Continued on page 10
By KERI LINDENMUTH Built in the 1980s, Snow Hill Road Bridge in Allen Township is finally starting to show its age. Over the past four decades, the bridge over the Hokendauqua Creek tributary has developed cracks, settling, undermining, and other wear and tear that is worrying engineers. An engineering report completed by Pickering, Corts, and Summerson outlined several improvements the bridge needs to enhance its safety and environmental impact. This report was presented to the Allen Township Board of Supervisors on February 23. Undermining and erosion are the main damage the bridge has experienced over the years. Township engineer Stan Wojciechowski recommended backfilling some of the erosion and potentially realigning the stream channel to prevent further deterioration. However, the stream is on private property, which could pose legal issues in the future. But erosion is not the only issue the bridge faces. In addition to settling on the roadway, the bridge’s concrete cells are shifting further apart, creating gaps and misalignment. The block wall of the bridge is eroding and the sides and roof of the bridge have several hairline cracks and areas of spalling. Meanwhile, the guardrails of the bridge do not meet PennDOT standards, a particularly tricky set of standards to meet as PennDOT does not issue guardrail designs. “No matter what we do to this guardrail, they are always going to say it does not meet PennDOT standards,” added Wojciechowski. However, he said it is possible to install safer guardrails that will come closer to the PennDOT recommendation. These improvements do not
come without substantial costs. Wojciechowski estimated it would cost the township over $100,000 to renovate the bridge. Even then, he added that “the structure is going to continue to have aging problems.” Wojciechowski recommended potentially looking into building a new bridge using funds that are awarded to townships through the Dirt, Gravel, and Low Volume Road Program through Penn State University. The grant program helps provide funding for low-volume roads, which in turn helps eliminate the pollution and sedimentation these roads cause. A new bridge would cost about $300,000 to build. However, as much as $200,000 could be awarded to the township through the grant program, making it possible for Allen Township to construct an entirely new bridge for the same cost it would take to repair the old bridge. “You can get $200,000 and put a brand new [bridge] in for $300,000 if you are going to pay $100,000 anyway,” Wojciechowski said. The program has been growing more popular, with applications currently being submitted for 2022. Experts at the program indicated to Wojciechowski that Snow Hill Road Bridge is the perfect candidate for the program, but it is possible for other municipalities to secure funding if the township does not apply soon. Despite the outside funding, Continued on page 3
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