Beloved Bushkill Township deer processing shop got the ruling it deserved | Turkeys & Trophies

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TURKEYS

Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure has made his point, and it’s a valid one. Now, it’s time to move on. McClure correctly stated that the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission’s executive committee decision to move the LVPC headquarters to Allentown is a bad one. The new location, along the Lehigh River waterfront, will cost $120,000 more annually in rent than its current location near Lehigh Valley International Airport in Hanover Township, Lehigh County. “Your destination of choice, your cool location is just not good government,” McClure said, referring to the expenditure. Well stated. But McClure lost us when he indicated he had formed a committee to explore leaving the LVPC. Don’t make that threat. Cooperation between Lehigh and Northampton counties on regional planning is more crucial than ever given the proliferation of warehouses in the region, an issue McClure has been raising publicly for years now. This issue is exactly why we need a regional planning commission. A strong and united LVPC arguably represents our best shot at getting warehouses under control on a regional level. McClure also complained that the new location moves the headquarters farther away from the geographic center of the Lehigh Valley and getting to meetings will become more difficult for Northampton County’s commission members. That’s a stretch. The new headquarters would still be within five miles of the geographic center and a five-minute drive from the old headquarters. It shouldn’t create a real hardship for anyone. Still, we get McClure’s frustration, especially when it comes to the rent expenditure. But throwing out the idea of the county leaving the LVPC is only going to create animosity among Lehigh County members at a time when we need more unity between the two counties. We’d urge McClure to reconsider this tactic given what’s at stake with the warehouse boom in the Lehigh Valley.

TROPHIES

A zoning hearing board isn’t supposed to be a political body. Members are appointed to follow zoning laws for how land can be used, but they don’t get to make those laws. So such boards are often forced to render decisions that are favorable to land owners and unpopular with those who live around the land in question. So it’s refreshing when a decision also aligns with the overwhelming majority of a community. That happened this week. The Bushkill Township Zoning Hearing Board unanimously approved a special exception for George’s Meats on Monday night before a full house at the Bushkill Township Volunteer Fire Co. The decision was the right one and also the popular one, judging by the applause that erupted after the vote. Krista and Casey Reiger took over the business after Krista Reiger’s father Gary Dietterick retired in 2021. The business had been located at 661 E. Dell Road but the Reigers moved it to their family farm on 31 acres at 1250 Miller Road. They wanted to continue their deer processing operation for local hunters at the farm, but a complaint forced the matter before the zoning hearing board. The special exception now gives the family the legal right to continue the operation and gives peace of mind to the Reigers. The family has been in business for more than 35 years and will hopefully still be in business in another 35 years.

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