The Future of Lower Milford is Yours to Protect. This election will determine our Township's future. Maintain a steady course and fulfill the goals set forth in our Comprehensive Plan to embrace farming and provide a rural atmosphere for residential homes. Or, open the door for a massive quarry, which could expand in the future to a 628 acre quarry site. We know that Ellen worked tirelessly to encourage land owners to enroll in the Agriculture Security Area and apply for the Lehigh County Farmland Preservation Program. To date, approximately one-third of our Township is permanently preserved and much of it would be directly impacted by a stone quarry, WHILE ALL OF IT WILL BE IMPACTED BY LOSS OF PROPERTY VALUES AND DANGEROUS TRAFFIC.
Addressing the Challenges
Every one of us has observed the tremendous increase in traffic passing through our Township.
Over 6,000 vehicles per day in Limeport Village, many of which are tractor trailers. From one end of the Township to the other, the increase in traffic over the last decade has greatly affected our safety and quality of life. It is critical that a quarry NOT locate in our Township, adding over 400 quarry trucks per day to our country roads. The first step to securing a semblance of control is to,
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Fight for our health, safety and welfare by continuing to elect Supervisors who will fight the quarry as they have successfully done for the last 21 years. Let us NOT be lulled into complacency. Supporting a quarry is putting jet fuel on a camp fire.
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Address the impact of traffic on our residents, including exploring ways in which local police presence and traffic calming techniques may be instituted.
Why Zone? Compatibility! So Everyone Can enjoy their property!
Farm Equipment and Quarry Trucks, both on the road together. A quarry truck every two minutes until 10 PM. Is it really fair to subject our hardworking farmers to tri-axle trucks carrying 22 tons of stone right behind a tractor and baler just trying to get from one field to the next. Agriculture and Heavy Industry are not compatible. Heavy Industry and Residential are not compatible. That is why the many brownfield sites (former heavy industrial sites) are being repurposed into new industrial locations which aids in maintaining a sensible separation of incompatible land uses. That is the very basis for "Zoning" a community. The practice began very early in the 20th Century in New York and other cities across the country.
Lower Milford Township is one of the leading municipalities in Lehigh County for preserving farmland. We are home to numerous fruit and vegetable growers, cattle and other livestock, crop farming, dairy, horse breeding and recreational. Lower Milford is home to High Quality and Class A Wild Trout Streams, second growth forests, historic properties and a National Register of Historic Places site. The photo below shows the area of the Township covered by preserved land. County and State taxes pay to preserve the farmland because without the preservation program, developers of housing, commercial and industrial projects would cover every farm field with structures and parking lots creating more and more stormwater flooding.
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
Joni Mitchell
Myths and Other Nonsense
During the spring Primary Election, wording was carefully expressed in a campaign letter leading one to believe that Ellen would not be running for Supervisor. Since only serving one term as a Township Supervisor, she definitely had every intention of running again.
However, the most egregious statements made through email campaigning were that Ellen was involved in the closing of the Fire Company Ambulance Corp., the Township Police Department and the Township Fire Company.
Obviously, the Fire Company is very much open and Ellen was instrumental in creating their Fire Fund. Does that sound like someone who wants to "close" the Fire Company???
The Fire Company Ambulance Corp. was closed by the Fire Company. A copy of their letter to the community announcing their closure can be found at the bottom of this page. Additional Information from the PA Dept. of Health is available through a Right-to-Know request to the Township Office.
Lastly, the Township Police Department. The Police Department was closed in March 2016 by the Board of Supervisors who were in office at the time. Keeping the Department open when the only officers were both out on disability benefits for close to a year was determined to be an unnecessary expense. Ellen was not a Supervisor and did not have a vote on any of the claims eluded to in the Primary Election message.
