NEW BETHLEHEM, Pa. (RVO) by John Gerow – New Bethlehem Borough Council made plans to apply for grants for purchasing new trucks, and addressed several building code ordinance issues at their monthly meeting Tuesday night, May 15. All councilpersons were in attendance except for Ronny Geist.

Chief Scott Ryan reported that he has been working with a particular resident with code violations. He told Council that although the issue is not totally resolved, the property owner is making an good faith effort at bring the property up to code. Council reminded Chief Ryan that property owners need to be reminded that they have until October 31 to complete sidewalk repairs if needed on their properties. Council President Sandy Mateer also reminded Council that according to Borough Ordinance 838 requires that all buildings in the Borough have their 9-1-1 address visible on them. She mentioned that there are several missing that signage and that Chief Ryan should mention this to property owners. She reminded Council that the Fire Department has 9 – 1 – 1 signage available for a small donation. With the rapidly growing grass, Chief Ryan will also be prompting property owners to mow.

Councilman Gordon Barrows reported that the Redbank Valley Municipal Authority is working with DEP to review the Acid Mine Remediation on the hill above Route 28 behind M & S Meats. The issue currently is the high level of iron. This mine runoff enters the Redbank Creek about a mile above the Borough’s water system intake. The primary purpose of the remediation is to minimize the risk of tunnel collapses in the abandoned mines in that hill.

The Street, Building, and Equipment Committee are also working with engineers to apply for a grant to make repairs on the Penn Street bridge and widening and paving Walnut Street. Street Commissioner Roger Hillary reported that the gas line replacement work is nearly completed in the Borough and that street side restoration will begin shortly. Mrs. Mateer told the Council that there have been very few complaints about the gas line work and she hopes the trend continues through the restoration work.

Mayor Tim Murray reported that the 9 new planters have been installed along Broad Street. He said that the Redbank Valley High School Greenhouse will provide the plants and that he hopes the planters will be planted and ready by Memorial Day. Mr. Murray also reported that all of the planters have been “adopted” for this year. Mrs Mateer also reported that the Boy Scouts were mulching the beds at the memorial park at the dam and that the Garden Keepers will have the planting done in time for Memorial Day as well.

Chief Scott Ryan reported that the New Bethlehem Police Department had received a grant of $750.00 from the Walmart Community Grants Program. He said that the purpose of the grant was officer safety and he asked Council for permission to spend $740.00 for a Female Ballistic Body Armor. The Council approved his request.

Councilman Stewart Bain expressed his concerns about security at the Scout Park basketball court. A lengthy discussion about purchasing security cameras for the basketball court ensued and resulted in the Council approving another $1,000.00 to complete the purchase and installation of security cameras at the court. This money is in addition to the $1,100 already approved. Chief Ryan and Gordon Barrows were tasked with finding the right camera system to use.

Mr. Bain also reported on the results of pricing two new trucks for the Borough. The one truck will serve as a garbage truck and the other is a standard cab general use pickup. Mr. Bain said the best prices that he had found were for Fords. The garbage truck would be an F-650 with a 10 yard packer body. The pickup being considered is an F-250, standard cab, 4-wheel drive with a snow plow and spreader body. He told the Council that there was very little difference between the cost of 2017, 2018 and 2019 model years. Borough Council is hoping to replace both existing trucks, paid for in part, by grant money. Mr. Bain recommended that the Council approve applying for the grant for the 2019 year models. His concern is that the 2017 and 2018 models could be sold before the grant application is complete. Applying for the grant for 2019 models would ensure that the trucks would be available when funding is approved. Receiving the grant would allow the Borough to purchase the trucks with little to no monthly payments. Council unanimously approved applying for the grants.

In a final bit of business, Mr. Barrows reported that he had been approached by Bryan Watkins of the Redbank Valley Municipal Park board to see if the borough of New Bethlehem would be interested in once again becoming a supporting municipality for the Park. The consensus of the Council was that this is an off budget expenditure and that it would be more appropriate to consider it for next year’s budget, if the residents in the borough are interested. Mr. Barrows said that the contribution would be about $2,600 for the year. Considering the population of New Bethlehem, this is about $3.00 per resident. Mrs. Mateer suggested that Council do an online survey to gauge the interest of the community. The meeting was adjourned with the Council going into an Executive Session.

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MEETINGS:
New Bethlehem Borough meetings are held the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 7:30pm at the Alltel/Windstream Building on Lafayette Street. Folks may contact the Borough’s office to be placed on the meeting agenda.

MISSION:
New Bethlehem Borough Council fosters business, community, and personal growth within the borough while maintaining the small town appeal and family friendly environment that makes New Bethlehem such a great place to work, live and raise a family.

GOALS & OBJECTIVES:
To learn more about Council’s Goals & Objectives, please visit: NewBethlehemBoro.com/about and click the ‘Mission’ tab.

CONTACT:
To contact any member of Council or the Borough’s office, please visit: NewBethlehemBoro.com/about and click the ‘Council’ tab. You may also ‘like/follow’ New Bethlehem Borough on Facebook for the latest news/announcements: Facebook.com/NewBethlehem

For more info, please visit New Bethlehem Borough’s website: NewBethlehemBoro.com