Lower Macungie Township

Larry Schneider Voted Off Twp. Zoning Hearing Board

Commissioner Ron Eichenberg says Schneider's "polarizing nature" is the reason.

Zoning Hearing Board Chairman Larry Schneider joined the ranks of Bob Rust and Ron Beitler at the Lower Macungie Township Board of Commissioners meeting Thursday when he was voted off the board on which he has served for the past six and a half years. Schneider, who was instrumental in Lower Macungie's transition to a first class township in 2007, was dismissed from the township Zoning Hearing Board in a 5-2 vote: Douglas Brown, Ron Eichenberg and Roger Reis voted to elect Scott Aquila to the ZHB, effectively voting Schneider off. Ryan Conrad and James Lancsek voted against the motion to elect Aquila. Several township residents spoke on Schneider's behalf after the motion was made but before the vote was cast including Brian Higgins, Bill …

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Lower Macungie Township

Township Greenway Plan Would Span 14 Miles

Lower Macungie is on its way to adopting a Greenway Plan that would link 14 miles of trails throughout the township.

KMS Design Group, a landscape architecture and planning firm based in Phoenixville, Chester County, on Thursday presented the final draft of its plan to construct a 14-mile system of trails throughout the township to the Lower Macungie Board of Commissioners.  The BOC unanimously agreed to advertise a September meeting at which township residents will be able comment on the plan before the BOC votes on adopting it. The plan would stretch across the township, mainly following the Swabia and Little Lehigh creeks. It is designed to accommodate walkers, runners cyclists and -- for the majority of the trails -- people in wheelchairs. The greenway would be constructed over a period of time -- possibly 10 years -- so that its cost would be less …

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Mark Spengler

12:06 pm on Monday, August 20, 2012

A very worthy project. Public participation is the key to getting this done correctly.   more ›

A New Map of Lower Macungie in the Works

It's been 10 years since Lower Macungie issued residents a new map and lots has changed.

Lower Macungie Township gets requests for maps of the township often but the only ones staff can provide are 10 years old and woefully out of date. The population of the township grew from about 19,000 in 2000 to more than 30,000 in 2010, according to the U.S. Census, and that spurred construction of housing developments and new roads. Last week, township commissioners gave staff the go-ahead to hire a company to make a new map for residents. The best part is, it's free. A company called Municipal Publications makes maps and gives them free to communities by selling advertising on the map, said Renea Flexer, township secretary. All the township will have to pay for is postage to mail the maps to residents but the company will reimburse …

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Lower Mac Closer to Lowering Mill Creek Speed Limit

Residents along Mill Creek Road in Lower Macungie had complained of speeding cars making it risky for them to pull out of their driveways.

Lower Macungie residents who complained about cars speeding on Mill Creek Road are close to getting their wish to see the speed limit reduced to 25 mph.  At Thursday night's meeting, the Lower Macungie Township commissioners voted unanimously to advertise an ordinance that would cut the posted speed limit on Mill Creek between Sauerkraut Lane and Spring Creek Road.  William Erdman, township engineer, said if all goes according to plan the new limit should be posted by the end of August. Erdman's firm Keystone Consulting Engineers, did a speed limit evaluation of that stretch of road and concluded that the 25 mph limit was warranted. The current posted speed limit is 35 mph.  "It's very unsafe for [residents] trying to get out of their …

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Lower Mac Sues Zoning Challengers

The township wants $5,700 from the appellants in the ongoing zoning challenge. Counsel for the residents says the charge is unwarranted.

Lower Macungie Township

Lower Mac BOC Approves Jaindl Subdivision

The unanimous decision to divide the property is only the beginning of the development process.

In a move they called "cleaning up another board's mess," the Lower Macungie Township Board of Commissioners on Thursday voted unanimously to approve the Spring Creek Properties Subdivision, more often called the Jaindl Subdivision. More than 100 people packed the meeting room of the Lower Macungie Township Building -- most to say they did not want the BOC to approve the plan. Though several taxpayers asked the commissioners to reconsider because of repercussions that several taxpayers said would put a undue burden on the East Penn School District, the May 3 voted pertained only to the division of the commercial, industrial and greenspace parcels. The vote had no bearing any part of the residential plans for the property. It created light …

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Lower Macungie Township

Township Issues Burn Ban

The dry weather makes any spark dangerous.

Lower Macungie Township officials on Thursday voted unanimously to issue a burn ban due to the ongoing lack of rain and dry conditions. Brush fires throughout the area -- many attributed to careless cigarettes tossed away, are to blame for at least several of the 14 mulch fires that have occurred throughout the township in the past seven days, said Ben Galiardo, township fire inspector. Rainfall accumulation for the year usually totals about 11 inches by mid-April, but this year there has only been half that, said Township Manager Bruce Fosselman, and prediction of rain in the net few days is diminishing. Galiardo said he has been seeing neighboring counties including Upper Milford and Washington issue similar bans. "Even a huge downpour …

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Lower Macungie Township

Church Lane Bridge Will Close

The recently repaired bridge is taking on too much traffic with the closing of the Spring Creek Road.

Getting around in Lower Macungie Township will become a little more difficult in the coming weeks when the Church Lane Bridge is closed to traffic. Township commissioners voted unanimously Thursday to shut down the recently and expensively repaired bridge because they are concerned about the increased traffic it is sustaining due to the closure of the Spring Creek Road bridge which is currently undergoing repairs. James Lancsek, who sits on the commissioners’ public works & facilities committee, suggested the Church Lane Bridge be temporarily closed until the work on the Spring Creek Road Bridge is completed. Keeping Church Lane open would “ruin” last year’s “multi-million dollar fix,” Lancsek said. The board of commissioners voted …

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Bill

7:00 pm on Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Totally agree Fred! Time for a changing of the guards (ALL TOWNSHIP BOARD MEMBERS AND MANAGER)   more ›

Lower Macungie Township

Commissioner President Apologizes for Possible 'Misinterpretation'

Going forward, Ron Eichenberg will remain silent on matters regarding the Remington/Allen Organ property for which he is real estate broker of record.

Lower Macungie Township Commisioners listened to several residents during the public comment portion of the March 1 meeting as they accused Commissioner President Ron Eichenberg of unethical and illegal behavior at the Feb. 16 meeting. Two weeks ago, the board of commissioners voted to refer a rezoning request for the property surrounding the Allen Organ headquarters to the township planning commission.  Eichenberg, a broker for the Frederick Group, is the agent of record for the property. He was accused of making comments that contributed to the "formation and framing" of the motion. He denies this, saying he only called for the vote as he is supposed to do in his role as president of the board. Eichenberg also "afforded no opportunity …

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Bill Thomas

8:49 am on Saturday, March 3, 2012

I'm in JTs corner on this. The candidates for the 134th seat were indeed grandstanding.   more ›

Five Things to Know This Week

Five Things to Know this Week: Feb. 13 to Feb. 19

So. Tuesday if Valentine's Day, right? If you're single and at least 21 years old and looking to meet someone, Bear Creek Mountain Resort is hosting the "Lift of Love" which gives you seven whole minutes to chat with somebody new. It's the winter version

1. Meetings: The East Penn School Board meets at 7:30 Monday at the district's administration office. Also, the Lower Macungie Township Commissioners meet at 7 p.m. Thursday in the township building. 2. Coming Up: On Thursday you can play cribbage at 1 p.m. and bingo at 6 p.m. 3. Most Popular Articles: Lost Pets Found in Macungie, Alburtis, Police Find Gun at Scene of Crash,  Video Shows Winter Action at Bear Creek. 4. In Case You Missed It: Read about two scouts who were part of a group of six from Troup 431 wo recently earned scouting's highest award. The other four, plus the story of their Court of Honor ceremony are coming up this week. 5. Facebook: Get a shout-out from Patch! Be our 300th friend on the Lower Macungie Patch Facebook …

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