HARMONY At the borough meeting Tuesday night, Mayor Cathy Rape and several residents voiced their concern over the proposed Harmony Lakes development and its access roads.

The townhouse development, almost entirely in Jackson Township, borders Harmony and will use the borough's roads to access Route 68.

The Harmony Lakes development would include 104 townhouse units on 41.5 acres owned by Brenckle Enterprises. The property is between Spring Street in Harmony, Route 68 and Interstate 79.

A traffic study by the developer estimated Harmony Lakes could add 325 vehicles per day on roads such as Spring Street and several other roads that lead to Route 68.

Rape said the borough's roads could deteriorate quickly when construction crews roll in and traffic significantly increases.

She suggested sending a letter to Jackson Township and to the state's Department of Transportation asking both entities to repair or replace any damage done to Harmony's roads during construction.

The mayor pointed out First, Second, German, Edmund and Spring streets could be damaged, and she questioned whether the financial ramifications of repairing the roads would fall to Harmony.

The letter, she said, should make it clear to Jackson Township that either the developer or the township is responsible to repair any damage to the roads.

Borough Council President Jeff Smith urged borough solicitor Matt Marshall to research the matter before sending a letter about potential damages. Smith said sending a letter would be premature when the plan is only in the conditional phase and when borough officials aren't completely sure about the liability issues.

Smith said he'd support a request that the developer post a bond to make sure the roads aren't destroyed during the construction phase of the project. He also Rape's letter could strike a bad chord with the township.

"I don't think it's appropriate for one municipality to tell another municipality what to do," he said.

But Rape persisted and said the borough should send a letter anyway just to make Harmony's requests known. If borough officials do make formal requests that are denied by the developer, the dispute could land in court if Harmony decides to appeal.

The letter was tabled until the next council meeting to allow Marshall time to research the legal issues concerning the potential damaged roads and the township's responsibilities.

After the meeting, one resident voiced her discontent with the board's decision and said the time to act is now.

"We need some action," Carolyn Moyer said. "I'm just fed up with the whole thing. The whole thing is a joke."