The main topic of discussion at the Jan. 19 virtual Hellertown Council meeting was, for the second consecutive meeting, a proposal for the construction of a new Public Works Department facility in the borough. If approved, construction on the building would likely begin this July, lasting for two to three months.

The 10-bay, 13,000 square foot building, which opponents characterized as essentially a garage for municipal vehicles, is tentatively set to be built alongside Northampton Street and Magnolia Road in front of the Saucon Valley Community Center. Formerly the site of the Rinehard School before its demolition, the plot is currently the site of vacant, grassy lot.

Bill Broun, who resides in the area and spoke out against the proposal at the prior meeting, joined again to express his concerns, which ranged from quality-of-life issues such as noise pollution from increased municipal truck traffic to the effect on the value of homes and other properties surrounding the garage.

He asked council members if they could each individually guarantee that it would have no negative effect on his neighborhood. Council member Earl Hill voiced his strong support of the project, saying “if anything, this is going to increase (homeowners’) property value. Compared to what was there, this is going to be a shining building.”

Borough engineer Bryan Smith of Barry Isett & Associates presented a blueprint of the project, showing landscaping improvements to be made in conjunction with construction and Public Works director Barry Yonney emphasized his department’s commitment to maintaining the aesthetics of the building and surrounding area as well. Mayor David Heintzelman also joined the meeting to express his support, saying the project would be “a win-win for everybody.” Ultimately, the council voted to authorize the borough to move forward with the project.

Jessica O’Donnell and Lauren Bertucci from the Hellertown-Lower Saucon Chamber joined the meeting to discuss this year’s version of the borough’s popular Music in the Park summer concert series. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual concerts, which have historically taken place at Dimmick Park in the borough, did not happen in 2020 as they had in previous years.

O’Donnell said that she had recently spoken with borough manager Cathy Hartranft to “plan ahead and possibly give the community something to look forward to” and was optimistic that some version of the series will likely be held in 2021. O’Donnell touted the Chamber’s success in holding a limited number of other events during the pandemic. “Some of the events that we’ve held over this last year… we’ve had safety plans put in place,” she said, specifically pointing to Christmas tree lighting ceremonies and other recent holiday events in the greater Lehigh Valley area.

Bertucci indicated that there are four tentatively scheduled dates throughout the summer, and that the musical acts who were initially scheduled to perform in 2020 would be given right of first refusal for bookings. Council President Thomas Rieger encouraged the council to approve the plan, saying “we should hope for the best and, like last year, we’ll see what happens.” The council voted unanimously to allow the borough to work with the Chamber to plan the shows.