Travis Kuntzman requested approval of a conditional use for his property at 75 Getz Dawl Road, Palmerton, to operate a sawmill. It is to be a hobby, not a business.

He was asked about his source of energy and said he would prefer to use solar or water power.Kuntzman said he would be comfortable with a maximum of 5,000 board feet per week.He works during the week unless weather is bad since his job is road construction. There would be no work done on Sundays so it would be mostly be used Fridays and Saturdays.He is willing to keep the sawmill in a building with slab (waste wood) and cut boards stored in a lower level.Resident Bill Rebollo said he received a letter in the mailbox and felt he had been blindsided because residents did not have enough information.He estimated he lives 700 to 800 feet away on Getz Dawl Road, but according to the zoning officer's map it is closer to a half-mile.Rebollo said he thought residents should be able to review all information including the planning commission comments.Supervisor Penny Kleintop said they were available if he came to the office and filed a right-to-know form or by calling.Supervisor Guy Seifert said Kuntzman was denied because it is a conditional use.Robollo said his primary concern was how much he would be working into the night.Seifert asked, "Your concern is the noise and hours?"It would require a 15-by-40-foot building.Slab wood would be cut up and sold to people with outdoor furnaces.After a special meeting, supervisors gave approval with conditions, said solicitor Jennie Cheng.The conditions are that all equipment except a tractor be kept enclosed, logs may be kept outside, slab wood is to be contained, noise at the property line will be no greater than 82 decibels, and work will be only from Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.Seifert added that there will be no commercial use and there will be a 5,000-foot maximum.