Moving forward toward the completion and opening of Lower Saucon Township's portion of the Saucon Rail Trail, township council voted 3-0 April 20 to advertise updated rules for the path and addressed resident privacy issues related to the trail.
Notable additions to the final draft of the ordinance include:
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The prohibition of alcohol consumption on the trail.
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The prohibition of smoking on the trail.
The creation of provisions for walking leashed dogs and a requirement that owners remove any dog feces, disposing of them properly. All other animals will be banned from the trail, leashed or not.
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Other than motorized wheelchairs and Segways, no motorized vehicles will be allowed on the trail. Vehicular access on paved roadways is restricted to 10 miles per hour.
Trail guests will be prohibited from trespassing on adjacent private property.
The rules, 26 in total, are similar to those of Hellertown Borough and Upper Saucon Township, officials said, and when approved, will be posted at all of the trail's access points.
Discussing the issue of whether to allow horseback riding on the trail, council president Glenn Kern noted, “There's no access for horse trailers.”
Hellertown and Upper Saucon have both made no provision for horses, and council members said they were uncertain that riders would actually stop to clean up after the animals.
“I don't think one should have it and the other shouldn't,” said council member Priscilla de Leon.
Turning to the matter of privacy for affected residents, council decided privacy fencing is the most practical option.
Additional planting will be discussed in the future, they said, noting that a fence is an instant solution, not needing time to grow to size to serve its purpose.
“Every time someone says they have an issue, we'll deal with it on a case to case basis,” said township manager Jack Cahalan.
Council also discussed trespassing related to the trail.
Signs will be posted, but Cahalan said, “We're not going to put signs that say 'no trespassing' up and down the trail.”
The township plans on enforcing the law to deal with the issue, officials said.
“You can never stop a person who wants to get to the edge (of the trail),” said B. Lincoln Treadwell, the council solicitor. “They're going to get in if they want to get in.”
Council approved the purchase of signs stating park rules at a cost of $23,450.50.
An opening celebration for the rail trail is planned in conjunction with Hellertown on May 7.
In another park-related issue, council postponed transferring $20,000 in funds related to the Heller Homestead to the historic structure fund, saying it wished to ensure the funds were originally from the township's general fund and not funds earmarked for something else, such as fees from developers earmarked for recreation.
“You could transfer the funds to the Heller Homestead and earmark the funds for recreation,” Treadwell said.
Council members, however, said they wanted to be sure of the funds' origin before moving them to another township account.
The council plans to revisit the matter at their next meeting.
