Interesting Items on LMT BOC Agenda Tonight

The LMT Board of Commissioners meets tonight at 7pm in the

There are a couple interesting items on the agenda:

On Aug. 23 County Commissioner and Lower Macungie Township resident Percy Dougherty wrote a letter to the board encouraging the township to take advantage of the "Green Futures Fund." The fund was created as a result of a voter referendum where voters voiced support (by a 2-1 margin) for the creation of a mechanism to purchase agricultural conservation easements, parkspace and open space.

Currently LMT has access to $500,000 in funding to use in this fashion. The program, however, is set to end on Dec. 31, 2013.

The commissioners must act quickly or we will lose this funding. To date the township has only used about a quarter of what at one time was available. Hopefully at tonight's meeting we will hear the board's plans to access this money. Keep in mind open space and farmland preservation is supported by a supermajority of township residents.

Also of interest on tonight's agenda is a fantastic study done by a community member.

Resident Jim Palmquist submitted an outline of his various studies regarding the "walkability" of the township, specifically Lower Macungie and Brookside roads.

The studies overview the fragmented nature of pedestrian walkability here in the township. He notes that 62 percent of Brookside Road and 42 percent of Lower Macungie Road currently do not have pedestrian walkways. His comprehensive study is definitely worth taking a look at and I hope the Commissioners forward it with their support to our smart growth consultant.

You can check out the study under item C on tonight's agenda.

This feedback is EXACTLY the kind of resident input the board needs to encourage and facilitate. I hope Mr. Palmquist's recommendations make it into the "smart growth" implementation plan. 

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