New Compost Center Hours Announced

The Saucon Valley Compost Center will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays when it reopens in April.

When it reopens for residential yard waste drop-offs on April 12, the Saucon Valley Compost Center in Lower Saucon Township will have new hours. Instead of being open from 9am to 1pm, the center will be open Fridays and Saturdays from 10am to 2pm, Hellertown officials announced recently. The center, which is located at 2011 Springtown Hill Road, is open to residents of the borough and the township. An ID card system is used to identify residents who use the center, with IDs available at Hellertown Borough Hall and the Lower Saucon Township municipal building. Borough Manager Cathy Kichline explained at the March 6 borough council meeting that the new hours will allow residents--who often perform yard work in the morning--"an extra hour in …

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Saucon Valley Compost Center Needs Volunteers

The popular compost center in Lower Saucon Township will reopen for the 2013 season on April 12.

The Saucon Valley Compost Center's 2013 opening is just two months away, and local officials are hopeful that the popular facility's hours can be expanded if volunteers are found to help staff it. An announcement posted recently on the Lower Saucon Township website states that "due to municipal funding limits, the operating days/hours of the Compost Center cannot be extended beyond the current schedule at this time. However, expanded schedules could be considered in the future if an adequate number of volunteers step forward to assist the facility staff." The compost center, which is located on Springtown Hill Road, serves residents of both the township and the borough of Hellertown. Anyone interested in volunteering to help at the center …

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Compost Center Announces End-of-Season Hours

The Saucon Valley Compost Center will soon close for the season.

Gather that brush and get it to the Saucon Valley Compost Center while you still can. The center--which is operated jointly by Lower Saucon Township and the Borough of Hellertown and is open to residents of both municipalities--will soon close for the season. Due to higher than average demand in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, the facility will be open for extended hours this weekend, officials announced Wednesday. In addition to its regular hours of operation (Friday and Saturday, 9am to 1pm), the compost center will be open this Sunday, Nov. 18, from 9am to 1pm. The Saucon Compost Center will again be open Saturday, Nov. 24 from 9am to 1pm before closing until next year.

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Middle School Shelter to Stay Open Until Sunday

Saucon Valley Middle School will continue to serve as a shelter for storm-weary local residents who lost power during Superstorm Sandy. The Saucon Valley Compost Center will also open for extended hours. Volunteers are needed at both locations.

A day after opening the Saucon Valley Middle School gym as a temporary shelter for local residents dealing with a days-long power outage, Saucon Valley School District superintendent Dr. Sandra Fellin announced that the school will remain open as a shelter until Sunday, Nov. 4 at 9pm. The school's locker rooms and showers are also open during the daytime for the thousands of local residents who have been without power since Superstorm Sandy brought down trees and utility lines Monday night. Fellin said Thursday that falling temperatures and the number of local residents still without heat prompted the decision to open part of the school as a shelter. Friday night's low is forecast to be 36 degrees, and the low Saturday night is forecast to…

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Compost Center's Success Could Mean Extended Hours

Local officials say the Saucon Valley Compost Center could open on additional days next year if enough volunteer help can be found.

The Saucon Valley Compost Center has become so popular that there's now demand for it to be open on additional days, Lower Saucon Township Manager Jack Cahalan and Hellertown Borough Manager Cathy Kichline told members of the Hellertown-Lower Saucon Chamber of Commerce during a presentation Sept. 27. The center, which is currently open Fridays and Saturdays from 9am to 1pm in season, is jointly operated by the borough and the township for the benefit of their residents. Staffed by public works department employees from both municipalities, the center's success necessitated the use of ID cards beginning this year. Cahalan said more than 6,000 visits to the Springtown Hill Road, Lower Saucon facility have been recorded so far this year. And …

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Borough Announces Curbside Yard Waste Collection

A community-wide, curbside yard waste collection will take place in Hellertown the week of June 18, 2012.

Hellertown residents should be aware that a community-wide, curbside yard waste collection will take place the week of June 18, 2012. According to a public information statement from the Borough, "collections will generally follow the weekly trash collection schedule. Residents having yard waste for collection are advised to place it at their normal collection location the evening before the usual trash pick-up date." Yard waste placed curbside for collection should be separated from garbage, bundled with string, and of reasonable weight to allow for safe lifting. Only the following materials will be accepted: Grass, sod and tree stumpes will not be collected, nor will commercial business materials. Residents with yard waste to dispose of …

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Compost Center Gearing Up for April 13 Opening

The Saucon Valley Compost Center in Lower Saucon Township will open for the 2012 season on Friday, April 13 at 9am.

The Saucon Valley Compost Center will soon open for the 2012 season, and the Borough of Hellertown and Lower Saucon Township want residents to be aware of protocol for use of the facility. New this year will be the use of identification cards, which are being issued to residents at both Hellertown Borough Hall and Lower Saucon Town Hall. The cards--which will eliminate the need for sign-ins at each visit--will also be available at the compost center gate, according to a public notice issued by the Borough of Hellertown last month. Materials that will be accepted for drop-off at the center include bagged leaves (bags must be taken home); small brush (up to 4 inches in diameter and no longer than 6 feet); hedge trimmings; and Christmas trees…

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Council Approves Issuing Compost Center ID Cards

The Saucon Valley Compost Center's popularity with local residents has grown considerably in recent years, Lower Saucon Township manager Jack Cahalan told council March 7.

A proposal by Lower Saucon Township manager Jack Cahalan to issue Saucon Valley Compost Center ID cards to residents was unanimously approved by township council March 7. Cahalan said the use of ID cards will help improve public access to the facility, which is located at 2011 Springtown Hill Road and is due to open for the season April 13.  Cahalan said the cards would be issued to residents at both Lower Saucon Town Hall and Hellertown Borough Hall. Due to the growing popularity of the compost center over the past few years, traffic tie-ups have become common at its entrance, where visitors have been required to sign in with a public works department employee before driving through to the mulch piles, he explained. The fact that compost …

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Compost Center to Open for Tree Drop-Offs

The Saucon Valley Compost Center on Springtown Hill Road in Lower Saucon Township will be open on a limited basis this month for residents to drop off Christmas trees and yard waste.

The Saucon Valley Compost Center at 2011 Springtown Hill Road in Lower Saucon Township will be open to local residents on a limited basis this month, township officials announced recently. The compost center will be open from 9am to 1pm for the drop-off of Christmas trees, leaves and brush on the following Saturdays in January: Jan. 14, Jan. 21 and Jan. 28. The facility is open to residents of both Hellertown and Lower Saucon Township.

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Police Reports

Lower Saucon Township Police Blotter: Dec. 16, 2011

The following information was supplied by the Lower Saucon Township Police Department. Where arrests or charges are mentioned, it does not indicate a conviction.

Police: Man Arrested for DUI Pulled into Different Driveways, Turned Off Headlights On Dec. 2 at about 11:12pm police say Thomas Roland Kerr II, of the 3700 block of Oakhurst Drive, Upper Saucon Township, was observed "pulling into two different driveways and turning off his (car's) headlights." Police subsequently stopped Kerr in the 1400 block of Colesville Road and say he was determined to be under the influence of alcohol. After Kerr was arrested for DUI, a blood alcohol test revealed a blood alcohol concentration of .14 percent, they added. Police Investigating "Keying" of Chevy Monte Carlo On Dec. 4 police say they received a report of criminal mischief in the 2500 block of Applebutter Road. According to police, Roger Mercado, of …

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