Emmaus Chief of Police David Faust announced his retirement via letter, read by Mayor Winfield Iobst at the Emmaus Borough Council meeting March 7.

Faust, who stated his last day will be March 25, has been with the Emmaus Police Department for 30 years, and has been chief for 16 of those years. He also spent his first five years in the public works department.

“The leadership, training and experience has taught me that good leaders should be the first, and not the last, to realize when it’s time to leave,” Faust wrote. “I leave with no regrets and nothing but admiration for the borough, our police department and its people. Emmaus has been great to me, and in return I have given every ounce of energy for the last 35 years.”

Faust went on to write he is not a “ceremonial person” and “it is my wish to walk away quietly from this position, with my head held high.”

“I don’t think we can say enough kind words about the chief and the professionalism he has brought to this department,” Council President Brent Labenberg said.

In other business, residents of Emmaus encouraged council to get Project Lifesaver.

Project Lifesaver is a program using electronic monitoring bracelets to help quickly find those with autism, Alzheimer’s or other conditions who wander away from home.

Resident Martha Lieberman, who is the Lehigh Valley coordinator for Project Lifesaver, spoke before council urging them to move forward with the program.

“We need to get this program here,” Lieberman said. “There is a very good possibility I can get you a grant to get started just like I did with Allentown and Bethlehem.”

Lieberman said 99 percent of the time the international recovery time of locating and bringing people home happen in one half hour or less. There is a onetime fee of $350 per person that will allow the patient to wear a monitoring bracelet. Lieberman said they are working on getting state funds to help people pay for their bracelets.

There is no extra cost for the departments unless they have to pull somebody in who is off duty.

Resident Edwin Cruz, who has an autistic son, said his concern for his child has risen after following the events of Jayliel Vega Batista in January. Bastista, a 5-year-old autistic boy from Allentown, wandered away from home and ultimately drowned in the Lehigh Canal.

Another resident, Mary Anne Borinsky, said her autistic grandson has wandered away from home at least four times in the past few years. Two of those times he had suffered from seizures.

“This is why I am so fully in favor of this program, because to have him found in such short time would be a miracle, and he needs one,” Borinsky said.

Ordinance 1135 passed its final reading. The ordinance dealt with confirming the finalization of the speed limits on both Chestnut Street and Main Street.

Ordinance 1138 passed its first reading which deals with the combining of the recreation and entertainment commissions. One of the main reasons for this merging was due to the fact council continuously has trouble filling both individual commissions.

Also passing its first reading was Ordinance 1138, which deals with the bus parking at the Seven Generations Charter School. According to Councilwoman Lee Ann Gilbert, there are 16 different bus companies catering to the school. Gilbert said this ordinance will give them an additional 120 feet, which can accompany three full size buses.

She said the bus companies “need to cooperate and move further down the road because it is causing a problem on Second Street.”

Cara Biery and April Schiel were hired as full-time paramedics for the ambulance corp.

Janet Rader-Burton was appointed to the Emmaus Arts Commission with a term expiring Feb. 7, 2019.

Council voted 7-0 in favor of terminating their contract with Service Master when the expiration date comes up. The end of the contract is July 1 of this year.