Penn Forest Township supervisors Thursday voted to approve the expansion of the township’s C-1A zone, and at the same time add new rules and restrictions on warehouse and trucking terminal businesses.

Residents asked questions before the vote.

Tim Kennedy lives across the street from the township-owned parcel that is just north of the municipal building and would be included in the C-1A zone. He asked supervisors if that parcel could become “a nature preserve.”

Supervisor Christian Bartulovich said that he reached out to the Natural Lands Trust with some questions.

Questions about the township selling or leasing the township land were met with a crisp response from supervisors’ chairman Roger Meckes that “the land will not be sold as long as we are supervisors.”

Regarding the Carbon County Planning Commission’s recommendation that the expansion not be passed due to the township’s land in the zone which could mean conflicts of interest if that land were to be developed, or issues if it were to be sold, Meckes repeated that “we are not selling our land,” or developing it.

It was also noted that appointment of a hearing officer would alleviate any conflicts of interest.

During the course of the meeting, the township’s property, estimated at less than 30 acres in size, was referred to as “mostly wetlands.”

Several citizens said the decision and the process were difficult to understand. Solicitor Thomas Nanovic tried to explain that the expansion of the C-1A zone would allow for more land to be available for distribution businesses - ideally heading off a challenge about the township zoning being so restrictive that it was not valid.

Bartulovich pointed out that the ordinance has been six months in the making.

The new rules have restrictions on noise, lights, buffers, and size of warehouses and terminals, wherever they would be built in the township.

The ordinance and regulations were adopted unanimously by supervisors Meckes, Bartulovich, Scott Lignore and Jim Denier. Supervisor Pat Holland was absent.

In other business, supervisors approved advertising for a CPA firm to audit the township’s 2022 books.

As the meeting ended, the township was asked by residents of the Bear Creek Lake Association to hold off on liming the fields of the township park until the chemistry of the fertilizer is determined to be not harmful to Bear Creek Lake.

This set off a robust discussion about water runoff from the park and elsewhere, and of lime and fertilizer.

Former supervisor Judy Knappenberger said her family has farmed in the township for generations. “I lime my field every year,” she added, noting the fertilizer is slow release. She then pointed out that the water runoff into Bear Creek Lake comes from up the road, uphill from the park.

Bear Creek Lake’s residents said that runoff had increased after the park paved its parking area.

Meckes pointed out that fertilizing the grass helps produce “better grass cover, cutting down on runoff.”

Supervisors agreed to wait for a report from Bear Creek Lake about what chemicals are getting into the lake, and whether the lime from the park may be contributing, but were unanimous in voting to have the field fertilized.

As a further clarification, supervisors pointed out that the park has had no herbicides or pesticides applied this year.