Towns Have To Grind Through Huge Sewage Plan
Lehman Tightens Screws
On Its Short-Term Rentals
BUSHKILL — Lehman Township homeowners seeking permitted use for short-term rentals will encounter more stringent requirements. Two reclassified districts in the township rezoning no longer will allow them.
Supervisors unanimously approved seven amendments to existing township Ordinance 135 involving short-term rentals, which cover a period of one to 30 days.
The changes were immediately enacted after a two-and-a-half hour public hearing last week carried that drew 100 viewers on Zoom videoconferencing. Nearly 30 of them were sworn in for testimony.
About half of those who testified spoke critically of short-term rentals as neighbors, and many of the others were homeowners of short-term rentals who questioned the severity of the changes.
Supervisors cited a few of those giving testimony as violators of the existing requirements, allowing out-of-state renters during the COVID-19 pandemic despite the governor's ban.
"I bought my home 22 years ago as a weekend home and always knew my neighbors and that's changed," said Paul Davi in his testimony. "I get new neighbors every weekend and do not know what's going on."
"We were OK with it in the beginning," said full-time resident Lisa Oppenheimer. "But it's taken away our sense of security. How would you like it if you had a stranger next door every three days? It's taken a toll on the community and our (homeowners) association. They're not managing it well."
On the other side, short-term rental homeowner Kevin Fitterer said, "I did an expensive fix-up of my home and wherever I lived, there were always issues of neighbors. I don't know if this ordinance is addressing the root cause of the issues."
Paige Tremblay, a 14-year full-time resident who operates a home cleaning business that often involves short-term rentals, upheld the short-term rental practice in many cases.
"STRs did a lot for the community," Tremblay said. "I've seen it come a long way with empty houses in disrepair. A lot have to do with fixing up for short-term rentals. Yes, some bring in bad neighbors. But this is a tourist area and many businesspeople rely on tourism to survive. They (tourists) can go to a hotel but STRs are a better situation. I've used them.....For more infomation subscribe to our paper.
Delaware Drowning
Death Toll At Four
For Summer 2020
BUSHKILL — At 6:15 pm on Sunday, July 26, search and rescue crews and dive team members from the National Park Service and several local fire and rescue crews recovered the body of a 30-year-old New Jersey resident from the Delaware River within Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.
The park's emergency communications center received multiple calls reporting a body floating in the river just upstream from the Interstate 80 toll bridge shortly after 5 p.m. NPS rangers and river patrol were dispatched to the area immediately and were on scene and accompanied by local volunteer crews within minutes.
After about an hour, the body was recovered and taken by boat to the Pennsylvania side of the river at Prices Landing where the victim was declared deceased by the Monroe County Coroner and transferred to Bushkill Emergency Corps for further transport. His name is not being released at this time pending notification of next of kin and family members.
Interviews with other visitors who were picnicking and swimming along the river at the Karamac site, just upstream from where the body was discovered, revealed that the 30-year-old man was with one of several large groups of people who were recreating at that riverside location. Karamac is on the New Jersey side of Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area off Old Mine Road in Warren County. It is not a designated swimming or picnic area.
This is the fourth drowning in the park in just over month......For more infomation subscribe to our paper.
