Neighbors Sway Township to Install Streetlights

Citing safety concerns, residents in the Sieger Gardens section of South Whitehall successfully petitioned township officials to install two streetlights in their neighborhood.

The neighborhood is not far from an area where authorities discovered a meth lab, said resident Kevin Wehr, who presented a petition with 30 signatures Wednesday to the South Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners. He said there also have been reports of domestic violence.

"Thanks to South Whitehall Township police and the Lehigh County Drug Task Force, they shut [the meth lab] down," Wehr said.

"This is a nice neighborhood that's been here since the 1950s," Wehr said.

Although the quiet neighborhood already has two streetlights, Wehr, who lives on Thompson Road, said it is still too dark.

Neighbors want better illumination, he said, to discourage "shady characters" they've seen walking through the neighborhood.

The board approved streetlights to be installed at the corners of Sieger and Thompson roads and Klotz and Gary roads. PPL will be contacted.