South Lebanon Township holds first public hearing on sidewalk project

This article was funded by LebTown donors as part of our Civic Impact Reporting Project.

The South Lebanon Township Board of Supervisors opened Tuesday night’s meeting with the first public hearing on the South Lincoln Avenue sidewalk project.

Chad Smith of Steckbeck Engineering presented a full layout of the plan, showing the new sidewalk starting near South Plum Street and extending along South Lincoln Avenue, ending near Wilhelm Avenue.

The project will impact several homeowners’ driveways along South Lincoln Avenue, with the planned sidewalk running across sections of those properties.  

Resident George Mason, whose driveway would be impacted from this project, expressed concern with the township starting to install sidewalks in this location, as he feels it would benefit the city school’s students more than the township’s. 

“(The sidewalk) doesn’t benefit the people, it only benefits the city, it doesn’t benefit the people of South Lebanon, except for increasing our insurance rates because of the sidewalk,” said Mason. 

Smith explained the project aims to coordinate sidewalk improvements, which will include curb upgrades, ADA ramps, and crosswalks.

“We do have to start somewhere,” said chairman Stephen Krause. “There’s just no place to go on Lincoln Avenue if you want to walk anywhere on Lincoln Avenue, and the pieces of sidewalk that are there have long been out of good condition.” 

Krause and Smith indicated their hope for continued future sidewalk improvements throughout the township, responding to the concerns raised by Mason.

Construction is anticipated to begin in early 2027. Funding was provided through a grant from PennDOT’s Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside Program.

The board then reviewed a complaint they received from a township resident about noticing heavy truck traffic on S. Lincoln Ave. and concerns of speeding. 

“Our options are pretty limited on what you can do on a roadway like that,” said Krause.  He noted they will keep the concern under advisement and keep an eye on that area.  

In other board business: 

• 679 hours of snow removal were reported by public works, with 239 hours being from the snow storm itself and 440 hours being the cleanup after. 
• Lebanon County Conservation District will hold its tire collection on Wednesday, April 29, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pre-registration will be available Feb. 23.
• Unanimously approved the Department of Veterans Affair annual 5K run on Saturday, May 23, at South Hills Park. 
• Unanimously approved to solicit bids for paving materials for paving at Evergreen, Larkspur, Edgewood, Margin, Clover, Monticello, Cambridge and Oxford. 
• Unanimously approved the Escalator/De-Escalator Clause, which allowed for price adjustments in 2026 contracts for bituminous products.
• Unanimously approved FASP Primary EMS, which designated the first aid and safety patrol as the primary responder for ambulance services within the township. The secondary is still available, which is Schaefferstown and Myerstown. 
• Unanimously approved a SWAT Agreement, which allows local police officers to serve temporarily on the Lebanon County SWAT team while remaining employees of their home departments.

The next meeting of the South Lebanon Township Board of Supervisors is Tuesday, Feb. 24, at 7 p.m. at 1800 S. 5th Ave., Lebanon. These meetings are open to the public.