A zoning hearing board meeting held at Towamensing Township resulted in Blue Mountain Community Church receiving a special exception-variance to expand the church. The church is located at 25 Oak Road, Palmerton. The road intersects with Hazelwood Road which creates concerns that will be discussed in planning meetings.

The expansion is to create a gym and additional meeting rooms. It is in the rural conservation district.Joe Pinkey, engineer from Spotts, Stevens and McCoy, for the church said 4,800 square feet would be added to the northeast corner of the building. It will remove eight parking spaces leaving 132.The variance is for lot coverage, which is just under the permitted 10 percent. With the addition it would be 13.4 percent coverage."The addition is needed for future ministries," said Pinkey.With the parking lot blacktopped, the building lot is 70 percent impermeable cover.Solicitor George Dydynsky asked if they could address traffic flow and septic.Pinkey said that would come later since no plan has been drawn up yet. Without the special exception there will be no building.Pastor Rick Collins said a small map was closer to scale then the one on a tripod for all to see.Zoning board chair George Karas asked what determined the size.Collins said the church planned a ministry for middle and high school students. A youth pastor has been hired to reach out to the community. A large group setting is needed plus small areas for break-out meetings. Around the sides of a gym there will be two stories of meeting rooms.When more people are expected than there is parking available, a second service is held."We try to keep both parking and building use at or below 80 percent of capacity," he said.Karas asked how often traffic is monitored. Collins said it is on a weekly basis.Karas wanted to know if there would be bathrooms in the addition.There will be two - one for men and one for women.Dydynsky said he should tell them about the need.Parents and teens get distraught about drugs, sex and other problems. Collins said they want to attract youth to the new building where teen problems can be discussed in a positive manner.There will be music and video equipment. He said the sanctuary has expensive equipment so it is not suitable for use as a basketball court.Zoning officer Christine Meinhart said no application had been received.Dydynsky asked any planning commission members that were present to testify. Connie Bieling recused herself because she lives on the abutting property. He did ask Bieling if she had concerns as a neighbor.Her concern centers on traffic because people race through the intersection and into the church parking lot. She suggested the driveway be kept further from the intersection when a plan is created. A four-way stop could also be helpful.Meinhart is also on the planning commission and said there had been no application in hand when the matter came before the commission.If the board grants the special exception-variance it will go to the planning commission and supervisors to work out details, said Dydynsky.Dick Bieling said he favors the church's request because it helps the community, and has agreed to allow emergency use of the facilities.Lloyd Stout, director of maintenance, said the sections of the church have all been built as pole buildings and it would be difficult to make any changes to them. It was suggested one single floor section could be made two stories tall.The special exception-variance was granted.