Lower Mac Presents Off-Site Plans for Willow Lane

Lower Macungie Township and East Penn School District officials met for the first time publicly to discuss plans for revisions to Willow Lane Elementary School.

The biggest challenge they share is the management of what some predict will be 300-400 cars that will queue up each morning and afternoon to pick up and drop off students. Currently about 140 cars drive into and out of the school twice a day, but if fewer students are bused in the fall, the number is expected to jump.

Planning and Zoning Committee members, Commissioners James Lancsek and Douglas Brown, with Township Engineer William Erdman and Alan Fornwalt from Keystone Consulting Engineers on Thursday presented the township's off-site plans.

From the East Penn School District, Operations and Transportation Director Lynn Glancy, Solicitor Marc Fisher and Engineer Paul Szewczak of Liberty Engineering presented the plan the school board approved at its Monday meeting.

The school district's plans include reversing the flow of traffic, widening the Millcreek Road and Sauerkraut Lane driveways, bumping out a corner of the parking lot to accommodate a bus turning radius and installing swing arm gates and signage.

The work needs to be done whether students begin walking to school next year or not, Szewczak said.

But the township's off-site installations—stop signs, crossing guards and paver crosswalks—is planned solely for the students who live at least within .75 of a mile of Willow Lane who will be walking to school at the beginning of the next school year.

Lancsek said no fewer than three times that the township "wants a commitment on the busing issue before we spend money that walking is going to take place" in the fall.

Additionally, Lower Macungie Fire Chief David Nosal said he was concerned that reversing the flow of traffic and the other on-site revisions would lengthen response time if an emergency were to happen during the school's drop-off and pick-up times.

The township's off-site revisions will be presented to the full board of commissioners at its next meeting at 7 p.m. April 4 at the Lower Macungie Township Building.