Nursery Owner Criticizes Councilman at Meeting

A Lower Saucon Township business owner who is appealing a notice of violation to the township's Zoning Hearing Board on Nov. 21 spoke out at township council's Oct. 19 meeting.

Mike Kiefer, who operates a nursery in the 4300 block of Lower Saucon Road, addressed council several times at the meeting, and at one point confronted council vice president Tom Maxfield while speaking from the floor.

Kiefer accused Maxfield of stating at an earlier meeting that he (Kiefer) was once "thrown out of another municipality."

"You also stated that I was nothing but a nuisance," he said, adding that "I'm not the first person to be slandered (by Maxfield)."

Maxfield denied ever making the remarks, and told Kiefer, "you're putting words in my mouth."

Council president Glenn Kern commented that there shouldn't be any dispute about what was said at an earlier council meeting, since the township's meeting minutes are transcribed verbatim and posted online, on the township's website.

Kiefer, however, questioned whether the minutes that are posted are an "amended" version of the transcript.

Council solicitor Lincoln "Linc" Treadwell then told him that the meeting minutes are not amended.

"That's why they're 80 pages long," Treadwell said.

Earlier at the meeting, council voted unanimously to oppose the variance Kiefer plans to seek for his business if the Jan. 2, 2010 zoning violation he is currently appealing is found to be correct by the hearing board.

Maxfield was the first member of council to recommend official opposition to any variance request, and stated that "it's almost as if (Kiefer) wants to go back in time (with the request)."

Councilwoman Priscilla deLeon also voiced concern over the potential for future litigation during the discussion about whether council should oppose the variance request.

Central to Kiefer's case for a variance, Treadwell said, will be the claim that "the township is trying to stop farming in the RA district," where Kiefer's business is located.

Zoning Officer Chris Garges said that argument won't wash, because there is at least one other nursery operating in the district, on Ringhoffer Road.

Kiefer, however, disputed that business's classification as a "nursery," and referred to it as a landscaping business.

"I'm the only nursery in the township that I know of," Kiefer said.

Just before council's vote to oppose the variance Kiefer may seek, a resident whose property borders Kiefer's also voiced opposition to what he called Kiefer's "supposed nursery."

Lawrence Opthof, of the 2700 block of Redington Road, told council that "the nursery should follow the laws set down by the township."

He said he fears that Kiefer is trying to avoid having a site plan in place with the township, and "if you can avoid a site plan, then what do you have there."

Opthof said he plans to attend the November zoning hearing board meeting with his attorney.