No More Left Turns onto Norwin from Baptist, and More (Sept. 7 Whitehall Borough Meeting Notes)

New Ordinance

council members passed an ordinance on Wednesday night prohibiting lefthand turns from Baptist Road onto Norwin Road. The new ordinance compliments a state mandate already in place prohibiting lefthand turns from Norwin onto Baptist.

"We will coordinate this with the state police,"  Chief Donald R. Dolfi said.

"That's been a mess up there," council member Harold Berkoben said. "It should have been done 20 years ago."

Complaint About Contractor's Work on McKee Drive

James Kester Jr., a longtime friend of several Whitehall council members, presented a complaint at Wednesday night's council meeting about the council's choice of a contractor for work around Kester's residence of 4212 McKee Drive.

"The mess that they (the contractor's workers) left was atrocious through the whole thing," Kester said. "The two contractors you used ... you got the low bid. I wouldn't use them again."

One of Kester's concerns was unfinished curbs.

"The curbs are the last thing I expect to be done," borough engineer Ruthann L. Omer said, adding, "We'll go out and take a look, and we'll give you a call."

Mayor's Plans to Plant

After sharing some of the ideas presented at a meeting that he attended the night before, Whitehall Mayor James F. Nowalk announced his intention on Wednesday to form a Shade Tree Commission in Whitehall.

"I think that this idea is a good one," Nowalk said. "We have an opportunity to distinguish ourselves.

"There are a lot of benefits to trees, not the least of which is increasing property value."

Nowalk noted that, in the borough's code, there is a section for having a shade tree commission. One of the responsibilities of the commission would be to take an inventory of trees in the borough in order to do better planning—both for replacing old trees with problems and planting new trees in areas in need of greenery.

Berkoben, however, was concerned about the scope of the proposed commission, saying, "I thought this was specifically for the Route 51 corridor." 

"It will start with Route 51, and then, it will become whatever we need it to be," Omer said. "By establishing the commission, we will have the opportunity to get some trees for free as well as some assistance in planting them," she said, referring to support from Penn State University for this project.

"I really would like to see the committee work on the 51 corridor and not get distracted with other areas," council member Kathleen N. DePuy said.

Nowalk assured DePuy and Berkoben that he was in agreement with Route 51 being the priority, saying that there are three components in the project:

1. Forming a Shade Tree Committee: Find people from local groups like the Whitehall Green Thumbers who would be interested in participating.

2. Identifying Areas of Need: For this, the council members agreed that the greatest need is along Route 51.

3. Knowing What to Plant: It is important to decide what the best kind of tree is for a given area (considering foliage, roots, et al.).

"The piece that I want to work on is the creation of the committee (commission)," Nowalk explained.

On a related topic, Omer later announced that the commission for a Route 51 has been appointed.

"We're moving forward, and everything is in order," she said.

The commission's next meeting will be on Oct. 7.

Remembering 9/11

In the absence of council President Linda J. Book, Nowalk announced that Whitehall will "commemorate the attack on our country" with a at the on Sunday morning at 8:30.

The event will include special music.

"I have to give Linda a lot of credit," Nowalk said, explaining how she has organized the event.

The Baldwin-Whitehall Patch will attend the Brennan Plaza event.