Oct. 30, 2025
— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs
Palmer Township’s plan for a new police station will get a hearing in Northampton County’s Orphans’ Court in December.
“Orphans’ Court” has a Charles Dickens ring to it. The court division once dealt with the interests of orphans and widows, but now typically handle disputes about wills, estates and trusts, cases in which perhaps one party is not capable of representing themself or is deceased.
In Palmer’s case, it comes down to use of land that was donated, apparently as open space. Here’s part of the township’s notice of the Dec. 8 hearing:
“The purpose of the hearing is to determine whether relief from a deed restriction for
open space and recreational use for the current Palmer Township municipal complex at 3 Weller
Place, Palmer, Pennsylvania should be granted to authorize the use of the property for municipal
building purposes, including a police station.”
Any Palmer Township resident or organization can object at the hearing. See the notice below for details, or see this link.
The land known as the Weller Tract, behind the municipal complex at 3 Weller Place, “was donated under certain conditions,” according to an item on the township website.
Earlier this year, there was discussion of use of the land. This is from the Jan. 21 meeting of the Board of Supervisors:
“(Solicitor William D.) Oetinger said he reached out to the Wellers at the end of December about waiving their deed restrictions and they haven’t responded. Our next step would be going to the Court of Common Pleas.”
See this link for the minutes of that meeting.
A famous Pennsylvania case in Orphans’ Court involved the Barnes Foundation, a museum in Philadelphia. Founder Albert Barnes, who died in 1951, left behind strict instructions on how his art collection was to be displayed.
Courts later eased some of those restrictions, and the museum was moved from the Barnes estate in Merion, Pennsylvania, to center city Philadelphia. Court rulings also allowed the Barnes Foundation to lend artwork to other institutions.
Some people found Barnes’ ideas to be a big quirky, but it was his collection.
The Barnes’ cases generated a lot of controversy. Palmer’s look routine.
Here’s the Palmer Township notice, from the Palmer website:
IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS OF NORTHAMPTON COUNTY, PA
ORPHANS’ COURT
IN RE: :
REPURPOSE OF DONATED OR :
DEDICATED REAL ESTATE IN : NO.: 4825-0988
PALMER TOWNSHIP :
PETITION FOR APPROVAL TO APPLY PROPERTY TO ALTERNATE
PUBLIC PURPOSE PURSUANT TO THE DONATED OR DEDICATED
PROPERTY ACT
To the Public:
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a Petition for Approval to Apply Property to Alternate Public
Purpose pursuant to the Donated or Dedicated Property Act has been filed by Palmer Township
with the Orphans’ Court Division of the Court of Common Pleas of Northampton County,
Pennsylvania, under the caption and docket number referenced above. The Court has scheduled a hearing on the Petition for December 8, 2025, at 9:00 a.m., in a courtroom that is still awaiting
assignment. The purpose of the hearing is to determine whether relief from a deed restriction for
open space and recreational use for the current Palmer Township municipal complex at 3 Weller
Place, Palmer, Pennsylvania should be granted to authorize the use of the property for municipal
building purposes, including a police station. Any resident of Palmer Township or any group or
organization of residents of Palmer Township shall have the right to file a protest, and, in the
discretion of the court, shall be entitled to be heard in person or by counsel or to intervene in the action and to be a party thereto. Copies of the Petition are available at the Northampton County Clerk of the Orphans’ Court and at the Palmer Township Building for review and/or photocopying.
You may also direct inquiries or requests for copies of the Petition to:
William D. Oetinger, Esquire
Solicitor for Palmer Township
Grim, Biehn & Thatcher
104 South 6th Street
Perkasie, PA 18944
(215) 257-6811
Lehigh Valley News Briefs 