Paw Prints on the Canal Page 8
The Home News Your Local News
JUNE 7-13, 2018
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Looking by Verizon presents monopole Back Ed Pany Proposal to Bath Council Early Allen Township Schools In today’s column, Larry Oberly, my friend from over Allen Township way, continues to look back to early education in his booklet “The Schools of Allen.” Over time, the creation of the new townships and boroughs were carved out of Allen Township, formed their own school boards and sometimes acquired the schools already located within their boundaries. Early townships that were carved from Allen included Hanover, Northampton County 1798 and Hanover Lehigh created in 1812 out of more than two thirds of the original Hanover Township. The first public schools in Catasauqua were built by Allen Township (their present high school is back in Allen Township along Willowbrook Road, mighty close to their rival the Konkrete Kids. A school was built in 1810 in the village of Biery’s Mill near the mouth of the Catasauqua Creek, which later became Biery’s Port along the Lehigh Coal Canal at Race Street. When the Allen Township School District took over, the school was moved further away from the river to higher ground. There was also a denominational school set up in a log structure near the Schoenersville
Union Church. In North Catasauqua the deed of transfer of their school at 4th and Arch Streets shows a date of 1907. The transfer included the building, land furnishings that the Allen Township School District no longer needed due to the creation of the Catasauqua School District. The selling price was $1,736. That probably doesn’t cover the school tax for one homeowner in present Catasauqua. Township schools were also located in the villages of Stemton, now Northampton’s third ward. Siegfried Bridge later would become the Borough of Alliance. There also was located the 1st Levan School House (1793) at 2312-17 Dewey Avenue. Later a brick school was constructed on the lot. With the construction of the Washington Building, the school became a local residence. There was a school called the Dry Run School, 1840 near the Lehigh River on West Fourth Street. It was washed away by a flood in 1862. The replacement school was torn down to make way for the trolley line of the Lehigh Valley Traction Co. when the line connected Northampton with Allentown.
Mayor Mirabito honors Michael Reph and Kathy Hayes-Reph.
By KERI LINDENMUTH Third-party representatives negotiating on behalf of Verizon presented their monopole proposal to the Borough of Bath Council on Monday, June 4. The 130-foot monopole, which will be located near the Bath Volunteer Fire Department, will help eliminate coverage gaps in the area. Should the monopole be approved, Verizon would enter into a leasing agreement with the borough for $22,000 per year. Other wireless companies may also lease antennas on the monopole and pay 20 percent of their lease to the borough.
Andrew Peterson, radio frequency design engineer for dBm Engineering, described the monopole as “adding three more lanes to a busy highway.” A wireless cell tower south of the borough in Jacksonville cannot handle the dense amount of wireless traffic, much of it coming from the borough itself. This is leading to dropped calls, slow speeds, and unreliable devices during peak times throughout the day. The monopole will alleviate these issues, improving wireless access for Verizon users throughout the borough. Peterson and the rest of his team believe other carriers
may also co-lease the monopole at a later time. There are no safety issues and interference issues in regards to the monopole, Peterson explained. While the monopole will give off electromagnetic energy, Continued on page 7
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