Last week the Lower Moreland Planning Commission made a recommendation to approve five billboard structures throughout the township.

A variety of locations were mapped out at the meeting to potentially construct billboards that will comply under the new township ordinance. After lengthy discussions on each location, the following spots were recommended to the Board of Commissioners:

• Two (2) billboards along the Philmont Train Station
• One (1) billboard along the Bethayres Train Station
• Intersection at Welsh & Lieberman Circle; only south side of street
• Intersection at County Line & Heaton Rd.; overlooking PA Turnpike

Back in September, Catalyst Outside Advertising challenged the validity of the township’s original ordinance because it excluded off-site advertising like billboards. Under the new ordinance, the township must allow multiple advertisements to go up.

Board members and local residents alike have voiced their opinion on this matter. The bottom line is that nobody in the township seems to be in favor of building commercial advertisements, but because of Catalyst's challenge, their hands are tied.

Planning commission member Angela Souder said, “We are trying to beautify our town and all we’ve done is built Wawa’s, gas stations and billboards.”

The recommendations will now go to the Board of Commissioners who will have the final say for approval, and that process will begin at their meeting on Wed., Nov. 8 at 7:30 p.m. in the Municipal Building.

There were other locations that Catalyst wanted to build on, but the following places were vetoed by the board:

• Huntingdon Pike & Welsh Rd. intersection

The board stated there were too many distractions at this busy intersection and there would be unsafe driving conditions.

• Welsh Rd. & Red Lion Rd. intersection

This billboard would be close to the TD Bank and Storage Center, but board members felt there would be too much flooding in this area since it is at the bottom of the valley

• Pine Rd. & Tomlinson Rd. intersection

Like the intersection at Huntingdon Pike/Welsh, board members felt this was a busy and dangerous place to start putting up billboards. “We spent seven years fixing it up and now we want to start putting up billboards,” one board member said.

A location that still might be decided on is the Public Works Property. There is a chance a billboard will go up here if it complies with the space.

There are also provisions that will be discussed to go over maximum and minimum sizes for the billboards at these locations.