[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6677526,"mediaKeyId","2173662-07edfa4f26a3aec7b3eec639b2effc62","parentId",2173662,"title","Easton Area School District board approves site design work for new high school, approves elevator and routine personnel and budget measures","audioSeconds",862,"startMs",3864000,"endMs",4726000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2173662-07edfa4f26a3aec7b3eec639b2effc62&start=3864&end=4726","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2173662-07edfa4f26a3aec7b3eec639b2effc62/thumbnail_3864000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6677526/Pennsylvania/Easton-Area-School-District-board-approves-site-design-work-for-new-high-school-approves-elevator-and-routine-personnel-and-budget-measures","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6677526-020cde6fcc3d2647b718fbebfda69adc/orig.mp4?Expires=1777372522&Signature=in0pXz~uzLK58pOyy~ZTmn10LkuExFJSBv6gPytXfSa2oQF1N4L8F-7miMVYrWEWlUxh0s83feqPFrpTvbLCK0szI3QVQ0U0RpdA3Pg9p4BjlCN1vTrD1RPwjog4MKbbdvGxF8YvoAYpY3r8D9iaD83a~k02T0C4ggaN5xk56ixixasTBgTe-naBNKSYZVkK0D3-D3r2zeH0JfLWzvxSgaKWqfMK-MEZYuXAk8VeZGLNYJwcSvjC4caGpoKCn11aOEeh2ijgFZpqEEQjBn0dBMvoPprrlH0r~DQTFUkJ0TqPnqpWS7bkB-6AJc48Odr7raXoImMzjQ1rSYSNVmHQTw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Easton Area School District","date","2025-01-29T06:22:43.02Z","article","The Eastern Area School District board approved a set of measures including authorization for design services on a proposed new high school site and an elevator upgrade at Easton Area High School, and approved a package of personnel, budget and policy items during its meeting.

On buildings and grounds, the board voted to approve the EAHS elevator project and to \"authorize Alloy 5 and CHA to continue a site design of a new high school located at the northeast corner of the current property,\" as presented at a January 14 standing committee. Administration said the vote authorizes design work only and that further approvals would be required before construction. \"Tonight's vote is simply about the location so that we have your approval to move forward,\" a superintendent-level speaker told the board.

The meeting record shows many consent and action items were approved or otherwise recorded during the meeting, including routine personnel elections and terminations, retirements and resignations, substitute appointments, contract approvals, student activity accounts, scholarship creation, an insurance policy, and conference and field trip requests. The board approved a motion to accept the settlement referenced on the agenda (settlement 01405494) and approved several policy first readings.

Notable procedural notes from the meeting record:
- Several personnel and program items were adopted as part of consent motions covering coach elections, retirements, resignations, leaves, contractual salary increments, administrative transfers, professional contracts, temporary professional employee contracts and long-term substitute appointments. One abstention was recorded on item F (contractual salary increments) and one abstention was recorded on item O (after school program employees); the transcript does not record the names tied to those abstentions.
- The administration noted that the Ready to Learn Block Grant (a state grant) will fund after-school program employees previously paid from ESSER funds.
- The board approved the AP African American Studies course at EAHS, various field trips and conference requests, and accepted a digital display donation from Fast Signs.
- The athletics-related contract for a mental health/sports psychology service (Mind of the Athlete) was approved with grant funding as presented.
- The board approved a cyber risk insurance policy with Chubb Winchester Insurance Company and authorized Jack Trent as an authorized representative on the Berkheimer tax collector contract as presented.
- The board approved multiple IU 20 (Colonial Intermediate Unit) contracts for behavioral and technical supports, and an iPad lease agreement.
- The board approved expulsion hearing waiver forms for a specified student under the terms presented.

The board also approved multiple policies on first reading, including Policy 210.1 (use of standing order emergency epinephrine and naloxone), Policy 113.1 (discipline of students with disabilities), Policy 113.2 (positive behavior support for students with disabilities) and Policy 308 (employment contract amendment).","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Regular Board Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","The board voted to authorize site design for a proposed new high school at the northeast corner of the current property, approved an elevator project at Easton Area High School and took numerous personnel, budget and policy votes during the meeting.","taxTitle","Easton Area SD, School Districts, Pennsylvania","taxId",38560,"location","Pennsylvania","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6677531,"Easton Area School District board hears community concerns over proposed Wood Avenue warehouse",3777,1664000,5441000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2173662-07edfa4f26a3aec7b3eec639b2effc62&start=1664&end=5441","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2173662-07edfa4f26a3aec7b3eec639b2effc62/thumbnail_1664000.jpg","/articles/6677531/Pennsylvania/Easton-Area-School-District-board-hears-community-concerns-over-proposed-Wood-Avenue-warehouse","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6677531-1155e450c1e2228673fe177a243cb057/orig.mp4?Expires=1777372522&Signature=L13snYxJ9vDOE7qxZoanNKEF81NfWtT9FiZv3pxLLp1CWEfI85tVp0kbEsLs9QA3YEOikGvcxqampcMTGtxmWRLUR~AHHognzSyZWH6RTgQ7OMAxh19cdVADeD8xubv9vvfkYNHQyCA3pBR2yI2~UbvbbzzTKUDbd7k6shA4G~FX7fQOMLj72Zu5qpXgo0zJFha2KEnPXKFrPdR3ke1sYwjulgxiAOMYHK5syF6BQqN4QgqooGJgCbu1oJ3o91LTPy3LOxjhwVHRB-YR1Genz64kPhAQOkvckWhBv9MNa3QkLEK6N4v2MXh0ebiQeL7T7lG~XhAUOMU3dzOFa~YiFA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At a regular meeting of the Eastern Area School District, board members heard an extended presentation and public comment about a proposed 1,000,000-square-foot warehouse near Wood Avenue and agreed that administrators should draft a formal resolution to register the district’s concerns with municipal and state authorities.

The warehouse proposal, presented to the board during the superintendent’s report by Jen Zando Dennis, drew questions about traffic and student safety, the routing of heavy truck traffic through neighborhoods, and potential environmental impacts on the Bushkill Creek watershed and adjacent parks. \"They're estimating...200 to 300 trucks that would be moving in and out of that space every day,\" Zando Dennis said; she added the developer also estimated hundreds of employee vehicles.

The issue matters to the district because several school bus routes and neighborhood streets could be intermixed with warehouse traffic. Ben, the district transportation manager, told the board \"there are 27 buses in the afternoon that use that shortcut,\" and described 70 routes that could be affected if trucks use the Bushkill Drive/13th Street area. He said the intersection at Bushkill Drive and 13th Street already experiences lengthy backups during school dismissal.

District presenters and public commenters said the proposal also raised environmental concerns. The presentation cited a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency report noting elevated toxic release and diesel-particulate measures near the site; presenters told the board the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission had given the redevelopment a \"relatively negative review\" and questioned whether roads and bridges in the vicinity could safely accommodate frequent tractor-trailer traffic.

Public commenters, including residents of Palmer Township and Easton, urged the board to make the district’s concerns part of the public record. Charles Diefenderfer, a Palmer Township resident, urged caution and urged the district to look for ways to reduce costs on unrelated school construction work; Karen Adams, who said she sits on a Palmer Township committee, recommended that any district letter also be shared with the Palmer Township Board of Supervisors.

Board discussion did not include a formal vote on the warehouse proposal. Board members expressed willingness to pursue a district resolution. One board member asked whether the city of Easton could join such a resolution; administrators said they would invite partner municipalities to participate. The administration agreed to draft a resolution that lays out the district’s transportation and safety concerns and to circulate it to board members for review before sending it to municipal officials and relevant state agencies, including PennDOT and state environmental regulators.

The board and speakers also discussed uncertainty about the scale of the proposal: presenters said materials distributed at an early developer meeting described a smaller warehouse footprint than later filings, and that roughly 10% of the site lies within the city of Easton while most is in Wilson Borough. Residents urged review by county and state agencies where appropriate and mentioned litigation as a possible option raised in community briefings.

The item was presented as part of the superintendent’s report; no ordinance, contract award or land-use decision by the district was made at the meeting. Administrators were assigned to prepare a draft resolution for the board to consider at a future meeting and to distribute the draft to local partners for potential joint action.

For now, the district’s action is limited to documenting and amplifying concerns: \"I would ask if board members would be willing to entertain some sort of resolution to vote on…to have it part of the public record and distributed to individuals,\" a board member said during the discussion, and administrators answered they would prepare a draft.","Board members and residents raised traffic, student-safety and environmental concerns about a proposed 1,000,000-square-foot warehouse near Wood Avenue; administrators were directed to draft a resolution expressing those concerns for distribution to municipal and state agencies.","actionData","errors"]

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Easton Area School District board approves site design work for new high school, approves elevator and routine personnel and budget measures

Easton Area School District board hears community concerns over proposed Wood Avenue warehouse