South Whitehall board approves PPL right-of-way, school safety grant application, pension and code-official appointments

At its June 17 meeting the South Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners approved several resolutions covering utility infrastructure, a school-safety grant application and municipal appointments.

PPL right-of-way: Township manager Tom Petrrui presented a grant-of-right-of-way with PPL Electric Utilities to install two anchor guys and associated overhead electric and communications facilities on a township-owned 3.4-acre parcel in Parkland Farm (Lehigh County Tax Parcel 547751969156-1). Petrrui described the work as a reliability project to replace single-phase lines with three-phase lines to reduce outages. "This project itself has nothing to do with any extensions… it is a reliability project," Petrrui emphasized; the board approved the resolution 5–0.

School-safety grant: The board authorized submitting an application to PennDOT’s Arley Transportation Enhancements Grant Program to fund overhead school speed limit flashers, speed display signs, electrical controls and related infrastructure across from Catronia Elementary. Estimated total cost is $136,000; the township would request $98,000 in grant funds and, if awarded, would need a $38,000 local match agreement with Parkland School District. Petrrui noted the township must be the applicant because the district is ineligible; the resolution passed 5–0.

Appointments and other resolutions: The board appointed Conrad Seagull Investment Advisors to provide investment advisory, actuarial and custodial pension services following a pension committee recommendation; the committee cited continuity in actuarial support. The board also appointed Barry Isa and Associates Incorporated as residential building code official and Key Codes Inspection Agency as commercial BCO to succeed retiring Building Code Official John France. The board reapproved Hanover Township and named additional primary sewage enforcement officers to comply with Act 537, and approved a settlement stipulation in College Heights Building Company’s assessment appeal that reduces the assessment for tax year 2026 from just over $839,000 to $642,200 (a $197,600 reduction) with estimated township revenue impacts of $56,311 (general) and $14,820 (fire tax). All resolutions passed on unanimous 5–0 votes.

Why it matters: The right-of-way approval and PennDOT grant application affect local infrastructure and school safety; the pension and BCO appointments affect long-term administration and permit processing. The College Heights settlement has a small but measurable near-term effect on township tax revenue.

What’s next: If the PennDOT grant is awarded, the township will negotiate a local-match agreement with Parkland School District. The township solicitor will execute the College Heights stipulation and the township manager will execute contracts and agreements related to appointments.