My family has lived on Ringhoffer Road for the last 90+ years. In 1949 my mother’s father, George Ringhoffer, Sr. had to sell his property on Ringhoffer Road to the Bethlehem Steel. They told him he could stay on the property if he paid rent. He wasn’t about to pay rent on his own property so he sold it for a mere $27,000 for 50 acres and with that money built a home up the road. He then built three other homes for his daughters in the same location, one of them for my mom and dad on Ringhoffer Road. Mom has lived there her entire life and through the years has seen businesses taking over the land.
She has watched the city landfill get larger and larger, broadening their acreage. There would be no issues, they said, to the surrounding community. What about that fire that was burning for years under the trash that caused an acrid smell in the neighborhood when the wind was blowing the right way. Who knows what kind of health problems this caused! Most of our neighbors are gone now; the landfill buying up homes on Applebutter Road, now leaving them in ruins. The road to the landfill is traveled by hundreds of dump trucks, sanitation trucks, and noncommercial vehicles daily, causing driving hazards, exceeding the speed limit, driving in the middle of the road, etc. Then Calpine came and mom watched them tear down her childhood home and erect that monstrosity across the street from her home. Again, we don’t know the health or safety hazards of this business.
No one on Ringhoffer Road was informed of this new development with the 98’ gas tanks right down the road from her residence, but Easton Road was informed through a mailing. Why them and not Ringhoffer Road residents?
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This would make Ringhoffer Road another Applebutter Road with huge tankers and trucks traveling to and from the area. An article in the Valley Voice stated “Easton Road cannot handle the weight of those trucks”, but Ringhoffer Road can? The grass hasn’t been cut on Ringhoffer Road for at least a year, making it difficult to even see the road. The road has not been repaired in years. People are speeding on that road and never do we see police presence. With redoing the road, which I assume would make it wider, this will again be conducive to reckless driving and with gas trucks traveling on this road would certainly make it a safety issue. We are also concerned about the safety of placement of these gas tanks and what would happen to the people living in the area if there was a leak or even an explosion. You say there are going to be safety procedures in effect but after an explosion happens, it is too late.
Put the tanks in the middle of the new Industrial Park in Bethlehem; there they will have access to and from the site without disturbance of Ringhoffer Road, yet again, and surrounding communities.