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Tom Maxfield

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Dozens of Silver Creek Road Trees Spared the Axe

Lower Saucon Township Council Vice President Tom Maxfield said power company PPL's recent plan to remove about 70 trees from a section of Silver Creek Road was partly quashed thanks to township intervention.

After a single Silver Creek Road resident filed a complaint with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) about the frequency of power outages in the area, PPL decided to take drastic action in order to keep its power lines near the rural thoroughfare clear of trees, Lower Saucon Township Council Vice President Tom Maxfield said May 1. Last month it was learned that the power company had earmarked about 70 large trees along Silver Creek Road for removal, and it was only because of a last minute intervention by township officials that the company ultimately "deselected" about 45 of those trees, Maxfield said. "They (PPL) will continue to pursue the policy of getting as much as they can get," Maxfield said, adding that "it took a …

In this Article:

Power Being Restored to Saucon Valley and Township Fears Silver Creek Road Trees Will Be Axed

Friday, March 22, 2013

L. Saucon Council Candidate Plans Write-In Campaign

Lower Saucon Township Council candidate Donna Louder says she is not opposing a legal challenge to the petition she filed to appear on the May primary ballot. Instead, she is launching a write-in campaign.

A Lower Saucon Township Council candidate and political newcomer whose petition to appear on the May 21 primary election ballot has been challenged by a current councilman on a technicality says she won't oppose that challenge, but does plan a write-in campaign for the seat. Republican Donna Louder's election petition was challenged at the county level this week by township council vice president Tom Maxfield, who argued that she failed to file a statement of financial interest with the township, according to an article published by the Express-Times. In a statement issued Thursday, Louder admitted that she failed to file the necessary statement of financial interest by the required deadline. "When I learned of this issue, I attempted to …

In this Article:

3 Running for 2 Lower Saucon Council Seats, Township Residents Upset About Landfill Rezoning Request, IESI Bethlehem Landfill, and 1 more ›

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Library Task Force's Final Report Released

The Saucon Valley Library Task Force recently concluded nearly two years of work that involved studying the feasibility of switching Lower Saucon Township's library services from Bethlehem Area Public Library to Hellertown Area Library.

The Saucon Valley Library Task Force met for its final meeting Aug. 9 and put the finishing touches on the "Conclusions and Findings" report prepared for the Lower Saucon Township and Hellertown Borough councils, as well as the Hellertown Area Library Board of Trustees. The report--which concluded that it is "feasible" for Lower Saucon Township to consolidate library services for its residents at the HAL--was presented to Lower Saucon Township Council Aug. 15 and will be presented to Hellertown Borough Council on Aug. 20 at 7pm (at Borough Hall) and the HAL Board of Trustees on Aug. 28 at 6:30pm (at the Hellertown library). At its final meeting, the task force voted unanimously to approve the report, except for task force member Lynn …

In this Article:

Hellertown Area Library and Borough of Hellertown

Cassandra Yorgey

4:17 pm on Sunday, September 9, 2012

Anyone else tired of hearing it explained to Katz how to sign up for a card? I personally have heard it explained to him roughly a dozen times over the course of the past year and every time he gets mad and states that he doesn't want to sign up for the Hellertown Library card.   more ›

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Library Task Force Prepares for Final Meeting, Report

The Saucon Valley Library Task Force's final meeting is scheduled for Aug. 9 at 6pm in the Lower Saucon Township building.

The Saucon Valley Library Task Force continued preparation for its final meeting and final report at its July 12 meeting. Lower Saucon Township Manager Jack Cahalan presented a rough draft of the final report at the meeting. The task force then made bulleted lists for the conclusions found by each subcommittee, which were as follows: Demographics: Technology committee: Building committee: Finance committee: Additional considerations: The final meeting of the Saucon Valley Library Task Force will take place Aug. 9 at 6pm in Lower Saucon Town Hall, 3700 Old Philadelphia Pike.

In this Article:

Library Task Force Member: 'What Are We Trying to Accomplish?' and Hellertown Area Library

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Library Task Force Member: 'What Are We Trying to Accomplish?'

As the Saucon Valley Library Task Force prepares to move into the final stages of its existence, at least one member questioned what the ultimate goal of the group's final report is.

The Saucon Valley Library Task Force is moving into the final stages of its study to determine the feasibility of Lower Saucon Township joining with the Hellertown Area Library (HAL).  Task force members began preparations for compilation of a final report--to be issued in August--at their June 14 meeting, where Lower Saucon Township Manager Jack Cahalan started the discussion. “There are two meetings left--one on July 12 and a (final) meeting in August," he said. "We need to start pulling together the information that the committees have gathered.” Each of the task force's various committees has submitted its findings, and that information will be reformatted, so there is a standard format throughout the final report that will be …

In this Article:

Library Task Force Discusses Interim Meeting, Library Task Force Considers Survey, Appoints Alternate, Library Task Force Holds Interim Public Meeting, and 2 more ›

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Councilman Praises Response to Brush Fire

Lower Saucon Township Council vice president Tom Maxfield said he was impressed by the dedication of firefighters who helped quell an April 17 brush fire on the township's border with Bethlehem, near Applebutter Road.

A Lower Saucon Township councilman had words of praise for the firefighters who battled a scorching brush fire April 17 on the Lower Saucon-Bethlehem border. At council's April 18 meeting, vice president Tom Maxfield said he was impressed by the dedication of personnel who fought the fire, which broke out when an electrical malfunction occurred at a PPL substation on a hill near Applebutter Road. He noted that at 8:30pm on the night of the fire, and well after flames had been extinguished "the firemen were still there." The following morning, he said, he observed that a fire truck was still stationed on the hill where the fire had burned a day earlier. "I was really impressed by the dedication," Maxfield said. "I thought those guys did a …

In this Article:

PPL Substation Sparks Brush Fire at Applebutter Rd, Steel City Volunteer Fire Company, Southeastern Fire Company, and 4 more ›

Thursday, April 12, 2012

'Green Mold' on Road Signs to Be Investigated

Lower Saucon Township Council president Glenn Kern recently asked township manager Jack Cahalan to find out if the mold can be removed from the signs.

A "green mold" that he has observed on some metal roadside signs in Lower Saucon Township has rendered them "unreadable," township council president Glenn Kern commented at council's April 4 meeting. Kern told township manager Jack Cahalan that he has observed the growth in his travels around the township. "However we get those signs cleaned, I'd like to get them cleaned," he said. Kern acknowledged that maintenance of some of the signs is likely the responsibility of the Pennsylvania Department of Transporation (PennDOT). Council vice president Tom Maxfield said he has observed the same problem in Upper Saucon Township, and, while council was on the subject of roadside signs, said he has seen many "temporary signs" appearing along …

Monday, March 19, 2012

Council Authorizes Trail Commission to Approve Special Events

On March 7, Lower Saucon Township Council gave the green light to the Saucon Rail Trail Oversight Commission to approve special events held on the trail in the township, although it will retain final authority over those decisions.

Special events such as 5K races and bike rides could be coming to the Saucon Rail Trail in the near future. At Lower Saucon Township Council's March 7 meeting, township manager Jack Cahalan said the multi-municipal Saucon Rail Trail Oversight Commission has already received several requests to host special events such as races, in spite of the fact that the trail is less than a year old. Cahalan wanted to find out from council members whether the commission could be given the authority to approve events held on the rail trail, because no framework currently exists for it to do that. Without such a framework, he said, each member municipality's governing body--including the township council, Hellertown Borough Council and the Upper Saucon …

In this Article:

Saucon Rail Trail, Ribbon Cut on Saucon Rail Trail, and Lower Saucon Township

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Township Council Re-Elects President, Vice President

Glenn Kern was re-elected council president and Tom Maxfield was re-elected vice president at Lower Saucon Township Council's Jan. 3 reorganization meeting. A new council member, David Willard, was also sworn into office at the meeting.

Lower Saucon Township Council members stayed the proverbial course at their Jan. 3 reorganization meeting. Council members unanimously re-elected Glenn Kern president and Tom Maxfield vice president at the meeting, which was the first meeting of 2012. "I will do my best to uphold the position. Thank you," Kern said after his election. Maxfield, councilwoman Priscilla deLeon and new councilman David Willard were also sworn into four-year terms on council. All three were elected in November. Lower Saucon Township Council meetings are generally held on the first and third Wednesday of each month at 7pm in Lower Saucon Town Hall. Agendas, meeting minutes and other information can be found on the Lower Saucon Township website.

In this Article:

Lower Saucon Township

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Several Township Council Members to Receive Raises

After learning that he will receive a raise, Lower Saucon Township Council vice president Tom Maxfield announced Nov. 16 that he intends to donate his 2012 council salary to the township's Open Space Fund.

As a result of a little-known 1995 ordinance three Lower Saucon Township council members will receive raises in 2012, it was announced at council's Nov. 16 meeting. The three members who will receive raises are council vice president Tom Maxfield, councilwoman Priscilla deLeon and incoming councilman David Willard, all of whom were elected to four-year terms on Nov. 8. Salaries will increase for the other two members of Lower Saucon Township Council--whoever they are at the time--in January 2014. The two councilmen whose terms expire in two years are Ron Horiszny and president Glenn Kern. The current council salary is $2,500 per year, but that will increase to $3,250 as of Jan. 1, 2012 for the three incoming council members because of …

In this Article:

Eichfeld Wins School Board Seat, Township EIT Referendum Approved, Op Ed: Extending Township's EIT Open Space Fund Is the Right Choice, and Census: Saucon Valley's Population Grew Modestly

Terri Simpson

3:39 pm on Wednesday, November 23, 2011

First of all it's none of any ones business on the size home they built. Sounds like class warfare.What people can afford and what they make is there business and just because you work hard and 16 hrs a day does not make it right for County, State, Township and School to come in and steal from you to pay for extravagant township buildings and new township trucks and other goodies and high …   more ›

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