Anger flared about plans to install artificial turf fields in Lower Macungie Township at Thursday night’s township commissioners meeting.
One resident was not pleased with a commissioner who dismissed her request for information about the project as “just smoke and mirrors.”
Two other commissioners argued about the accuracy of information one of them was offering about the project.
Three of the five commissioners support using $3.3 million in the 2015 township budget to install two synthetic multi-purpose athletic fields in Quarry Park.
Commissioners will vote on that budget during their next meeting on Dec. 18.
Commissioner Ron Beitler drew an angry response from Commissioner Brian Higgins when Beitler said: “With Quarry Park, we’re locking ourselves into redoing the field in 10 years at a huge capital cost.”
Interrupting him, Higgins said: “Mr. Beitler, I would just caution you to put out actual facts.”
“Let’s just have one at a time,” said Ryan Conrad, president of the five commissioners, as he attempted to stop his two colleagues from both talking at once.
The angry outbursts were surprising on a board that usually manages to maintain civility despite differences — at least in public.
Beitler also angered Higgins when he said East Penn School District “is doing it right now” on its nine-year-old artificial turf field “and we’re all paying for it.”
Said Higgins: “I do take offense at people putting things out there as facts that are inaccurate. It’s the responsibility of all of us to educate ourselves properly and to make sure that what we say is accurate.
“To just blatantly say something that is factually incorrect, I have a serious issue with.”
When asked to explain, Higgins told Beitler: “You said we’ll have to replace this field in 10 years and that the school district is doing it right now. Both of those are factually incorrect.
“The school district told us in a meeting that they expect another four to five years out of their current field.”
Said Beitler: “The fact is we are locking ourselves into redoing the field at some point. That is a fact. Whether it’s eight years, 10 years or 15 years, we’re going to have to spend upwards of $1.5 million plus to redo the field.”
When the synthetic fields project for Quarry Park first was presented during the Sept. 18 commissioners meeting, consultant James Lynch said synthetic fields must be replaced after 10 to 15 years and that their manufacturers typically offer eight-year warranties.
During that meeting, Higgins suggested renting out the two fields could generate revenue that would help pay for their eventual replacement.
Higgins, Conrad and Lancsek support the synthetic fields project. Beitler and Brown do not.
After the meeting, Beitler said he was informed by East Penn’s athletic director that its artificial turf field could be replaced right now, because it’s been used much harder they anticipated.
Return on investment?
The Quarry Park synthetic fields project was not even on the agenda of Thursday’s meeting.
It came up during the public comment period at the end of the meeting, when resident Susan Coenen again asked commissioners a question she has asked them several times before, without getting an answer.
Coenen said she assumed the township has “return on investment” documentation on the Quarry Park project and asked if that information could be made public.
This time she did get answers from the commissioners, although she did not like some of what she heard.
Commissioner James Lancsek dismissed her request for a cost analysis as “just smoke and mirrors.”
Said Lancsek: “We never built anything because we’re looking for a profit or were concerned about a return on capital.
“This is a quality of life issue as far as I’m concerned. If we do make any money on it, it’s just a bonus.”
Responded Coenen: “Commissioner Lancsek, I take issue that you referring to my request as smoke and mirrors.
“As a resident of this township, I have a right to know how our money is being spent and a right to request documentation of how we’re making those kinds of decisions.
“I have no other agenda than to find out what’s best for this township and the youth of the township.”
Said Lancsek: “The fact is we don’t know what we’re going to make, if we make anything at all. So how are we supposed to determine that?”
“Shouldn’t we know that?” asked Coenen.
“No,” said Lancsek. “We don’t care — because the fields are for Lower Macungie Township. Anything above that is just gravy.”
But Beitler supported Coenen, saying: “In this case, exploring return on investment is important.”
Conrad said generating revenue from the two fields is not the primary reason he supports the project.
He added: “It’s not even a secondary but a tertiary possible benefit of the project.”
He added that even if the township could produce some sort of financial projection, it would not sway his support for having the project done.
“As long as our residents can use it, there’s value, and there’s a return on that investment,” said Conrad.
Town meeting on Quarry project?
Noting commissioners have been receiving much correspondence from residents about the Quarry Park project, Coenen also requested that Lower Macungie schedule a town hall meeting to give residents an opportunity to share opinions and voice concerns — and to find out why the Lower Macungie Youth Association is not backing the project.
“It would be really helpful to have everybody in the same room at the same time and everybody hearing the same message,” she said.
None of the commissioners immediately responded to her town hall meeting suggestion.
But later Beitler predicted that, although the project is in the 2015 budget, “moving forward there are going to be more conversations about Quarry Park.
“Specifically, there’s going to be a vote on whether we move forward with that budget item or not.
“My intention is that we answer some of these questions between now and then.”
LMYA
Resident Don Richards suggested LMYA has not stated its opposition to the Quarry Park project more forcefully because the organization currently is renegotiating its field use agreement with the township.
“That put the fear of God into them,” said Richards. “If they would say anything opposing the Quarry project, the terms of the field use agreement might come out even worse for them.”
He added: “That’s just something I suspect. It may or may not be true.”
Resident Julie McDonnell indicated she is somewhat familiar with land-use agreement negotiations going on between LMYA and the township “and I did not get any kind of feeling at all there is any fear about what’s happening with the land-use agreement.”
Regarding Coenen’s recommendation that the township provide a return on investment projection for the synthetic fields, McDonnell said: “It is very difficult to quantify what these projects really bring back to you.”
She indicated it would be difficult to project a return on investment for the township community center or library.
“So many of those things have to do with quality of life,” said McDonnell.
Responding, Coenen agreed it is difficult to determine a return on investment for something that is benefitting the welfare of the community.
“However, it’s also been proposed that the Quarry turf project would also be a revenue generating project for the township,” she said.
“For example, having lacrosse tournaments there had been mentioned, as well as other tournaments — people who would come and rent those facilities.
“I’d just like to know what kind of numbers we’re talking about — who’s paying what. Those kinds of numbers and calculations should be made public.”
“Spread it around”
Resident Joe Ludroff told commissioners the $3.3 million in the budget for the project should be spent wisely, not all in one place.
“There’s lots of things that this township needs,” said Ludroff. “And it would be nice if we would spread it around. Maybe we would make happy residents.”
Commissioner Brown said it is appropriate for residents to question the amount that will be spent to install the two fields, as well as the amount that will have to be spent on them again in 10 or 15 years.
He indicated he has not seen answers to such questions.
“There’s just no substitute for good planning,” said Brown.
“Yes, we will have to replace it and, yes, it will be a substantial amount. I’m not really sure what that substantial amount is.”
New township website
At the beginning of the meeting, commissioners proudly showed off the township’s new website, which became operational Thursday afternoon.
Conrad said the new site — www.lowermac.com —is easy to navigate and much more user friendly.
He said it’s a responsive web design, which means “it looks good on a desktop computer, an iPad or a smartphone.”
And he said it’s more streamlined, so it will be easier for residents to find information.
Conrad said trying to navigate on the township’s old website was very difficult. “The functionality wasn’t very good; it was hard to find what you needed. We wanted to take a step into the future.”
Added Higgins: “It will bring things to the forefront more easily. When announcements are made, you won’t have to go digging around and looking for them.”
The township paid $17,560 to Allentown-based Trifecta Technologies to create the new site.
Business expansion approved
Also during the meeting, commissioners approved plans for the expansion of Power & Industrial Air Systems, Inc., at 5281 Hamilton Blvd.
Owned and operated by Kevin and Linda Maydick, the business is in a home that was converted into offices in 1993.
The 1,670-square foot addition probably will be constructed next year.
“It’s a little tiny expansion for a little tiny company,” said Kevin Maydick, who also told commissioners: “Most of you probably had absolutely no idea we were even out there.”
He said only five people work in the building, although a few other employees occasionally work there when they come in from their satellite offices.
“We run a manufacturers’ representative organization,” he said.
“We travel to our clients to sell mechanical equipment. We don’t have customers visit us because we sell for companies that are remote; that are too small to have direct sales people.”
He explained the business is growing, which is why they want to expand.
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