And so it ended as it began. Geryville Materials rested its case attempting to negate Lower Milford Township’s ordinance controlling quarries built on agricultural land. The irony cannot be escaped. Many years ago, they began their challenge by having Geryville Materials obfuscating their ownership of the land. Land was acquired… or maybe they had an option to the land,,, or maybe they owned it after buying it for very little and for future considerations. A month ago, years later, they had a witness testify that the quarry would be beneficial to Geryville Materials without adversely affecting reality values. Proof? .. testimony that $500K homes were built after the quarry existed in Sparta NJ. The Supervisors were expected to suspend disbelief and think that people with money would gladly build homes that would be would be disrupted daily by blasts, vibrations and noise from grinding operations, fumes from asphalt plants, truck traffic. Hard to believe? (If not, I have a quarry site I can sell you for a dollar and future consideration.) Ironically, this lie then ended with a moment of truth the last Wednesday. Geryville Materials‘ lawyer declared that the testimony contained inaccuracies and wanted to withdraw it. But that was not permitted and Geryville rested its case.. like bookends of misrepresentations holding up testimony with a lot of spongy fat but little substance. In the end, the investors feel they have a right to make millions in greed at the expense of 170 neighbors losing $5M in house value because they are rich and residents are not. People living by the rules are not relevant. Ironic, that we must wait on the vagaries of the court system to decide whether justice for the people or rationalization for the greedy will prevail. Maybe it is time to OCCUPY WEST MILL HILL!
This election was a funny race. Incumbents who ran the type of race common for decades in Lower Milford Township .. and win. Jeff Tapler lost the primaries by running an expensive well funded campaign with professional political consultants. Result was biggest loss in memory in Republican primaries. He dropped Ted Zapach, his hapless partner, and picked up another in Bruce Kaplan. New strategy– if being known by residents is bad, then run a campaign with no awareness- a sort of what you don’t know won’t hurt you campaign. Their only publicity was a last minute flyer bad mouthing the incumbents. Another big loss. But this selfless surrender of their reputation by Jeff & Bruce deserve recognition. Hence, I humbly present a homage to Jeff & Bruce to be sung to Stephen Sondheim’s Send in the Clowns
Isn’t it rich?
Are we a pair?
Jeff lost the last round,
Bruce didn’t care.
Send in the clowns.
Isn’t it bliss?
Don’t you approve?
Jeff who keeps fooling around,
But doesn’t improve.
Where are the clowns?
Send in the clowns.
Just when residents stopped opening doors,
Finally knowing Jeff wanted what was yours,
Making his entrance again with his usual flair,
Sure to get fines,
No ethics there.
Don’t you love farce?
My fault I fear.
Bruce thought that Jeff wants what we want.
Sorry, my dear.
But where are the clowns?
Quick, send in the clowns.
Don’t bother, they’re here.
Isn’t it rich?
Isn’t it queer,
Losing again this late
In his career?
And where are the clowns?
There ought to be clowns.
Well, maybe next year.
Tags: Bruce Kaplan, Lower-Milford-Township, Supervisors, Tapler
In a last minute flyer sent to select residents, Jeff Tapler and Bruce Kaplan issued several alegations worthy of a Pinnachio evaluation:
- Implies that change in EMT coverage was Township’s fault and service time longer especially when neighboring EMT’s busy in own area
- Township has nothing to do with EMT other than having to provide for EMT service. Lack of volunteers not financing caused Lower Milford EMT to close. Supervisors, EMT, and Fire Department negotiated coverage from neighboring sites.
5 PINNACHIOS
- Neighboring sites have full time coverage. The time saved by immediate response and strategic response from multi stations make up for time. Some areas will have better response
3 PINNACHIOS
- Coverage comes in a cascade system. If one EMT unavailable, another location responds. Response likely slower but no different if Lower Milford needs to respond to two events. The Probability is low.
4 PINNACHIOS
- Township spent $775,883 fighting quarry whioch is permissable under zoning code
-The legal fees are required to hold hearing requested by Geryville Materials for Zoning Board, Planning Commission, and Curative Amendment Hearings. Small portion is for witnesses to defend ordinances. If not defended residents would likely sue Township to defend ordinances as they are required by law.
4 PINNACHIOS
-This is zoned AGRICULTURAL. Quarries are permitted if they meet land use requirements of zoning code. Asphalt & cement plants proposed require a variance from the code. The issue is Geryville Materials wants to build a quarry that does not meet our ordinances
3 PINNACHIOS - Wants quarry issue as a referendum on ballot
- Misuse of referendum; would not be permitted legally. You cannot vote on special interests violating our codes. Exposes Township to liability.
4 PINNACHIOS
- Complain that Township roads are in disrepair and unsafe bridge has closed unpaved road
- Bridge would cost over $400,000 to repair. Supervisors deferred this non-critical repair. Roads are being repaired, painted as time and weather permit.
1 PINNACHIOS
- Complain about snow removal claiming insufficient labor
-Snow removal done as in the past over many administrations. Emergencies dealt with immediately by road crew, police or fire department. It is not financially responsible to maintain large road crew for few storms. Most roads out of Lower Milford are maintained by the state
1 PINNACHIOS
- Ask where police are, implying inadequate coverage
-Police are larger than for most communities the size of Lower Milford. Coverage is provided by local police & state police
3 PINNACHIOS
- Claim Residents Association controls Township and all people should be able to vote
-Residents Association does not support candidates because of it legal status. Individual members support various candidates according to their desire. All people vote for candidates. Support for the non-incumbents has been from the Concerned Citizens of Lower Milford. Provided they register as a lobby group, they have the right to back any candidate.
5 PINNACHIOS
- State that Township Manager wrote response to a campaign letter by Tapler & Zapach on Township time
- Letter was written in response to a untrue allegation about the Township. The response was to tell residents that Township was operating properly. It did not campaign for any candidate. Residents have a right to know the truth
4 PINNACHIOS
- Claim Supervisors are using Township resources and emails for campaign accusing them of a crime
- This is a lie and slanderous. No Township resources or facilities are used for any campaign. There has never been any complaint other from Tapler.
5 PINNACHIOS
- Accuse Supervisors of criminally mailing a Township Newsletter for political gain
- The Newletter is published and highly encouraged by the State. It has been cited as a strong community service. There is no campaigning in the Newletter. The complaint seems to be related to the fact that the Township has been a great place to live and is publicized by the Township
5 PINNACHIOS
- Suggest Supervisors are violating Sunshine Laws
-The Supervisors have complied with all Sunshine law oprovision. They have monitors & contacts for Police & Township business as well as legal council. There has never been a proven time that law was violated
5 PINNACHIOS
- Claim the Supervisors are being investigated by the Lehigh County Election Board
- There is no investigation. Tapler & Zapach complained that Wright & Snovitch violated disclosure rules. These were dismissed because they lacked evidence and the complain was without foundation. The incumbents ran the normal low cost campaign supported by a few residents. Tapler & Zapach ran an expensive campaign that did not disclose interests until they lost election. This is slander & a lie
5 PINNACHIOS
- They suggest Township does not have Emergency Plan
– Emergency Plan is mandated by law. Bill Roy is coordinator. The Township was open for charging phones, showers, and drinking water. Power information was posted on the door. Many people availed themselves of the amenities. All staff was on duty from Saturday through Thursday to handle emergencies. Citizens are responsible to stay informed. The Township Emergency Plan worked well
5 PINNACHIOS
Tags: Election 2011, Kaplan, Lies, Misrepresentations, Tapler
Limeport is being zoned as a village center. As a consequence, it now permits limited commercial ventures in the area. One is a plan for a drug rehabilitation halfway house. It would be a house just past the Limeport Inn. According to developers, a house would be purchased and converted into a halfway house for people recovering from drug addiction. It will require the purchase of two additional edus for extra sewer capacity but this was not seen as a problem since several are being unused. A spokesman for the developer said that people of Lower Milford Township seem to be apathetic to new types of development citing the small number of residents actively opposing the development of a quarry which would cause much more financial harm, making it an attractive community to get zoning approval. But the developer does not want to prey on this fact to force a rehab halfway house in the area. Rather they intend to make it blend in with the village center offering many benefits to the community.
- Patients will be limited to users only who have completed a rehab program at a qualified facility. Anyone convicted of selling drugs more than 2 times will be excluded. This will assure neighbors that there are no potential violent patients in Limeport.
- Parking is not a problem. Patients will not be permitted to have cars during their stay to minimize temptation to returning to high risk neighborhoods.
- The inmates will provide significant EIT tax to Lower Milford and Southern Lehigh School District. They will find jobs locally, e.g., at the Limeport Inn and Ye Olde Kountry Kupboard, or in surrounding neighborhoods for which transportation will be provided.
- The inmates will also bring income to the community as they will be permitted to buy sundries at the local deli as well as attend baseball games at the Limeport Stadium. In these situations, staff will be present to minimize risk of any adverse incidents.
- Several staff positions will be available to local residents to provide security and service to the patients. This local employment will also enrich the tax coffers perhaps affording the acquisition of more police.
- Professional landscaping will be provided to enhance the property and remove areas that would not be readily visible to the staff. The developers are also willing to provide some funding for the establishment of a small public park and garden.
Tags: Gerryville-Materials, Limeport, Lower-Milford-Township
I have often lamented how Lower Milford Township has become a staid old conservative community. Rather than be the shepard, we have become the sheep. Fries rebellion marked a notable event in our history; today it is “why fight the big bad millionaire” who wants to take our rock and diminish the value of our property– he will win anyway. In the old days, a part time cop was considered excessive since, as the late Howard Shelly said, “My cop hangs over my door”; today we plead for more more cops in the false hope of salvation, fearing of being invaded by Allentown or Quakertown riff raff. Woe is us; shepards protected their herd from wolves; now wolves in sheep clothing dictate.
Part of this fear is that we no longer have fun. This occurred to me because the Tilted Kilt is coming to Allentown. Because we are a staid God fearing community, I am sure few of us know what that is. Look it up on Google for I do not wish to offend and shock. I will wait….
Now that you know what the Tilted Kilt is, it should be clear to you that Limeport or Hosensack would be the choice for the location in the good old days. Then, we had great days with girls hanging from the windows of our hotels in the village center. Today the village center is worried about traffic, drug dealers and desiring playgrounds and walking paths — everything that would keep the village center empty. A Tilted Kilt in the center would certainly enliven the village center. In the old days, a blast would be Friday nights at the Eagle Hotel. Today, it is a concern that explosions might occur frequently near West Mill Rd. In the old days, our residents would wonder who is the prettiest of them all — today it would be is there anyone pretty at all? Ah, to be a shepard again! But all I can say is Baa, Baa
Tags: Hosensack, Limeport, Lower-Milford-Township, Sheep, Shepards, Tilted Kilt
Lower Milford Township has taken a step to make Limeport a village center in their plan for the Township. It permits more commercialization of the village. Unrestrained permitting of stores on the first floor of existing homes and other factors can quickly make an area into a slum. To the credit of our Township supervisors, they have obtained a grant to study how to develop the area. This affords us an opportunity to make the remaining concentrated area with historical homes into something special.
This is not to say that Limeport is not special now. It has a fine restaurant, the Limeport Inn, where I always leave feeling better than when I arrive. Unfortunately, I also significantly increase my cholesterol level because I can’t resist the great food and occasionally the best deserts in the area. It has a wonderful deli, country store, the Kountry Kupboard, where I find great donuts, friendly staff and the New York Times every Sunday. It also provides great sandwiches and wonderful salads especially the potato salad second only to my wife’s (possibly a tainted opinion required to preserve marital harmony). It has the Limeport Stadium where baseball is played as it should be only because of great people interested in preserving history.
Yet it can be more– it can be a focal point for the whole Township. On October 10, 2011, a kick off meeting was held at the Limeport Inn to begin the planning process for a better Limeport. Mark Jamison hosted the event — thanks for being a great supporter of Lower Milford Township. Over 30 people attended and offered a variety of ideas. Supervisor Donna Wright indicated that more meetings will occur. This is a great opportunity to make Limeport a center for unique shopping, entertainment, dining and building the pride in our community. People in Limeport should be leads in forging the village center for they will have to live with it. However, residents in the Township should also add their two cents worth. They will decide what should be done. Perhaps groups like the Lower Milford Residents Association can lend their support to ensure that residents are aware of the study and progress.
This is our chance. In a few years I hope that each day I drive through it or stop to enjoy it, I will leave feeling better than when I enter it. Thanks to Supervisors Wright, Roy, and Snovich for trying to make our Township better. Thanks to the citizens who participated for their participation; Mark, you should be proud for helping- I know I am grateful.
Tags: Limeport, Lower-Milford-Township, Plan, Supervisors
Jeff Tapler showing number of non-family voters that used trolley to vote
What a primary election! Was it professional consultants who suggested that Team Lower Milford not give interviews following Tom Corbett’s successful strategy for governor? Was it a “Better to remain quiet and be thought a fool, rather than talk and remove all doubt“? Even a GoDaddy hosted web site that was professionally done but did not list issues until after the election! GoDaddy how appropriate for the carnival atmosphere of this year’s Republican primary elections for Lower Milford Township Supervisor. Huge cool signs, bigger than ever seen in the Township dotted the landscape. Fireworks at the Township were graced with signs on an antique truck proclaiming the need to vote for Team Lower Milford. Ringling Brothers would have been proud of the advance promotion. The election was culminated by the appearance of a trolley to convey Team Lower Milford voters. The only disappointment was that the conductor did not wear a conductor’s hat. Terrific– thanks for an election that willl be talked about for years.
Tags: Clang clang went the trolley, Jeff Tapler, Lower-Milford-Township, Team Lower Milford 2011, Ted Zapach, Trolley
The Republican primary election provided for a constant source of entertainment during the past couple of weeks. It is hard to go cold turkey and lose all the entertainment value. In the spirit of fun (NOT GLOATING), we would like to extend the amusement of the campaign. We are starting a quiz – Which Doesn’t Belong and Why? The question:
Ringling Brothers & Barnum and Bailey Circus,
MacDonalds,
Team Lower Milford…
Which Doesn’t Belong and Why?
The answer can be found in the comment section. Add you answer to the comment section. It is easy to do. For example:
Airplane in Philadelphia,
Train in Washington,
Trolley in Lower Milford..
Which Doesn’t Belong and Why?
Answer: The Trolley in Lower Milford doesn’t belong because unlike the other two, the Trolley does not have any passengers.
The official question may be a little harder. Submit your answers or submit your own Which Doesn’t Belong and Why? riddle.
Tags: Primary, Republicans, Team_Lower_Milford
How will you remember the Red & White signs for Ted Zapach and Jeffrey Tapler. As overkill? As on point messages? The sheer number merits rememberance. To do this, one should add captions to the signs. The top ten are:
- Pinocchio sign –The more they tell you, the more the sign grows.
- The bigger the sign, the fewer the ideas.
- Ted & Jeff – What happened to Mutt?
- Ted & Jeff are Red and White – the Township will be blue!
- The bigger the sign, the more you can hide behind it.
- Think this sign is a blight? Wait until you see the Quarry signs
- We picked red to tell you that the budget will be in the red too!
- Like a mound of manure, this large sign is piled higher & deeper
- This square sign is only square deal you’ll get from us.
- Ode to T&J
Ted & Jeff are in the red
That is how Township will be
If Lower Milford they led
Have a better one, then submit it
Tags: Jeff Tapler, Lower-Milford-Township, Signs, Ted Zapach, Top Ten
Yesterday evening (Wed 03.09.11) at 4:30pm while driving home I came upon our fancy new police truck parked in the cemetery at East Swamp Church on Spinnerstown Rd and Orchard Rd, dutifully watching the stop sign for those who fail to stop before entering onto Orchard Rd. After passing by, I never gave it another thought.
Passing by again at 6:50 pm on my way to an appointment, I observe L.M’s. finest had someone pulled over on Orchard, obviously bagging a stop sign runner. Now I thought….Gee he has been sittingin the cemetery from at least 4:30pm (no telling how much earlier he was there) till now at 6:50pm watching that stop sign. Interesting I thought as my thoughts moved on to more important matters.
On my way back from my appointment, I pass by the cemetery at 8:35pm…..Yep! You guessed it, our fancy police truck clearly visible from all its reflective markings, sitting in the dark, in the cemetery. Wow! At least FOUR HOURS now (no telling how much longer he stayed) sitting in a cemetery watching ONE stop sign. My thoughts raced through a checklist.
PROS:
1. I should feel good. I have totle police presence in my neighborhood for the last four hours. The residents in the other 19.75 square miles are getting SQUAT!
2. No chance of the stop sign getting stolen.
3. TWP saving lots of gas just sitting in the cemetery, not to mention wear and tear on that truck.
4. He may or may not be issuing tickets. Tickets=revenue for the township. Warnings foster good will and a chance to correct bad behavior.
CONS:
1. No bang for the tax dollars. 168 hrs in a week. 2 cops x 40 =80 hrs coverage in a week. This leaves 88 hrs of no services. Minus 10 hrs (I’ll be conservative) of sitting in the cemetery, office, fire hall. That leaves a net of 78 hrs a week of patrol (at best). How much does the PD cost us a year in total? How about 100,000. Lets use this number. 78 hrs x 52 weeks= 4,056 hrs minus 80 hrs for vacation = 3976 hrs of patrol out of 8,736 year hrs. $100,000 for 45.5% coverage? Therefore, sitting around in the cemetery for hours at a time is NOT time well spent! PATROL! Drive around. Be seen around the township. See a traffic violation on PATROL? Great! Go ahead and stop ‘em. Otherwise, PATROL!
Tags: Lower-Milford-Township, PATROL!, Police
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