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APRIL 11-17, 2024
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Military helicopters visit ABE A glimpse of the Solar eclipse
This past weekend, 70 military helicopters used the Lehigh Valley International Airport as a staging area for refueling. Photo by Gregory Morgan Photography
Northampton Area School District Discusses future of Moore Elementary at public meeting By SAVANNAH BROWN The Northampton Area School District held a special public meeting on Thursday, April 4 regarding the district’s elementary configuration and specifically, on whether or not to keep Moore Elementary School open as a fifth elementary school in the district. The meeting was strictly meant to provide residents with information about the financial impact for district residents, as well as the personnel impact, redistricting of students, and transportation impact that keeping Moore Elementary open would create. To clarify, Moore Elementary is being considered the fifth elementary school in the district due to the school board’s previous majority vote decision during the Sept. 12, 2022 meeting to build a new elementary school and administration center on the district’s Route 329 property and close Franklin Elementary,
Moore Elementary, the Washington technology building and the current administration building, but to keep Moore Elementary open for sections of the building to be used by the community and district. At that time, Directors Kim Bretzik, Doug Vaughn and Robert Mentzell voted not to close Moore Elementary. Later, during the Aug. 14, 2023 school board meeting, the board took an informal straw poll vote in which all board members unanimously voted to keep Moore Elementary open and for the district to have five elementary schools. However, since then, no formal vote regarding the future of Moore Elementary has been made other than to set aside $2 million of the district’s general fund/assigned fund balance to be designated as committed fund balance for future Moore Elementary potential renovations, which would offset the
potential millage impact based on how the board decides to move forward. This caused many residents to question when the board would formally vote on whether to keep Moore Elementary open or continue with its closing per the original majority decision. As it stands, Moore Elementary is in need of dire repairs and renovations to the facility. The capital improvements needed include the mechanical system such as the cooling and heating plants, automatic temperature control system and classroom, gymnasium, administration and library heating/ventilation/air conditioning, as well as the interior and exterior lighting system, communication system and safety/security systems. Other necessary improvements include the plumbing system such as the water service system, piping system, plumbing fixtures and fire Continued on page 5
Taken in Nazareth by Gregory Morgan Photography
Moore Township Supervisors hear Girl Scout project Proposal and Water’s Edge appeal updates By SAVANNAH BROWN The Moore Township Supervisors met Tuesday, April 2 with a busy agenda that began with the swearing in of Adam Heckman as Klecknersville Rangers Volunteer Fire Company’s assistant fire chief. Following, supervisors unanimously granted two waivers for the Faust land development to prepare a combined preliminary and final plan and to substitute evergreen trees in place of the required deciduous trees under the SALDO. Under reports, Police Chief Gary West stated that the police department had 317 total calls for the month of March, with five written and verbal warnings issued, 29 traffic citations issued, two non-traffic citations issued for dog violations, two arrests for
DUI, one arrest for theft by unlawful taking, six reportable accidents and four non-reportable accidents. Klecknersville Rangers Vol. Fire Co. Fire Recorder Jason L. Harhart reported that for the month of March, the fire department responded to 96 ambulance calls and 48 fire calls, including three fires, eight motor vehicle accidents, one fire police, six automatic fire alarms, 10 ambulance assists, five wires down, three trees down, one Continued on page 5
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