Upper Hanover Board of Supervisors Chairman Gene Fried let the audience know there would be no discussion of the proposed Upper Perkiomen Middle School at the Feb. 14 meeting, but that did not deter a few comments from attendees.

                The board heard concerns from three residents, specifically about sidewalks along Montgomery Avenue and local roads.

                John Walsh of Upper Hanover noted that Montgomery Avenue had become a shortcut to avoid the square in Pennsburg, and that it would be important for the "health and safety" of students walking to school to install sidewalks and curbing on Montgomery Avenue.

                Bill Christman, a Montgomery Avenue resident, stated that he did not want sidewalks on his property, and a reason he bought the property was that he didn't have to install sidewalks.

                Supervisor Ben Fiorito asked for clarification as to whether Christman had been approached by anyone from the school district about sidewalks, and Christman responded that he was contacted and asked if engineers could come onto his property. He said he wasn't interested.

                Fried said that he wished to respond to an article in a previous issue of the Town and Country regarding sidewalks on Montgomery Avenue.  According to the article, engineer James Mazeika, who was hired by the district to conduct a traffic impact study, told the school board last month that the township was planning to construct a sidewalk on the south side of Montgomery Avenue from the edge of the school property to Eighth Street.

                "The township is not putting sidewalks on Montgomery Avenue," he said, "just to make that clarification." He said that Upper Hanover would not pay for the sidewalks, and that the school district would have to pay.

                In other news, the Board honored Catherine Hummel Fried for her 10 years of service on the parks and recreation committee with a plaque and special commendation.

                In zoning news, John Kennedy of John Kennedy Associates presented a plan to install an "interim facility" – a tent with a wooden floor – at the Sweetwater Golf Course on Geryville Pike. Kennedy noted that the tent would be "safer, more user friendly" for the upcoming wedding season.

                Kennedy was looking to add the structure to the existing conditional use plan for the larger Sweetwater project, with a target completion date of April. Township solicitor Joseph Bresnan said that he would have to do some research and get back to the supervisors to determine if the project could proceed in that time frame.

                In roads news, township manger Stan Seitzinger said that bridge construction for the other Route 663 bridge, on the south side of Kutztown Road, would begin in April and last for approximately three months. Telephone poles are currently being removed in that area.

                Seitzinger also reported on the township's and the Upper Hanover Authority's search for a better contract for electricity suppliers, and were able to work cooperatively to find the best prices, resulting in a 28 percent reduction in costs for the two entities through Champion Engineer and Constellation energy suppliers.         "This is an excellent example of how the authority and the township can work together," Fiorito said.