North Catasauqua Borough Council, at its meeting March 7, heard about a stormwater control issue on Hunter Street.

James Clauser, an agricultural conservation specialist from the Northampton County Conservation District, appeared at the council meeting to bring awareness to a stormwater control issue on Hunter Street, located at the east end of the borough.

Clauser explained runoff from Hunter Street flows down across an agricultural field that sits between the borough and the Willowbrook Golf Course. This has been causing sedimentation issues for the golf course, and if the erosion continues, the sedimentation could eventually reach Catasauqua Creek, which Clauser described as a major issue.

Clauser said he has already spoken to the landowners - Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority - about the issue, and reported LNAA is on board to find a solution.

North Catasauqua is not obligated to address the issue, but since the runoff originates on borough property, the borough’s help and cooperation are required for the problem to be fully handled.

Borough Council President Peter Paone explained to Clauser the borough is already aware of the problem and has long-term plans in place to address that area in 2026. The current focus is on the runoff issues across the borough, in the area of Main, Green and Wyandotte streets.

The borough has had some difficulty securing the funding for and managing those projects, so council doesn’t believe work on Hunter Street can begin right away. However, Paone said the borough is more than willing to meet and collaborate with the conservation district and the airport authority to figure out what needs to be done. They plan to meet sometime this spring or summer.

In other news, council voted to adopt the new amendments to the rental ordinance, which include changes to the fee schedule for inspections and reinspections of rental properties.

Travis Brett, public works supervisor, will meet with the North Catasauqua Recreation Committee later this month to decide on a location for the new exercise equipment for North Catasauqua William J. Albert Memorial Park. Currently, the plan is to remove the horseshoe pits from the park and install the new equipment there.

Police Chief Chris Wolfer reported on the 911 calls for February. There were 382 calls in North Catasauqua for that month, a 163.5-percent increase over last February.

In response to a complaint made at the previous council meeting, police officers have spent more than 30 hours monitoring vehicle speed on Howertown Road and wrong-way traffic on the north end of Third Street. Across that time, no one was caught speeding.

Councilman Dan Snyder, of the fire committee, reported Assistant Fire Chief Dan Dougherty will be temporarily filling in as head of the fire department while Fire Chief Roger Scheirer recovers from an injury. The committee will meet with Dougherty every two weeks to keep council updated on the status of the department.

Dougherty reported the expenses for extra repairs to the damaged fire engine came back at $34,781. Council approved any cost up to $35,500 last month. The parts required for the repairs are expected to arrive in about three weeks.

Councilman Mark Gioielli reported a complaint from a resident regarding the sign at the trailhead access point for the D&L Trail. The sign says “no pets” despite the fact that leashed dogs are welcomed almost everywhere along the D&L Trail. Ordinance 420, which dictates some rules about use of the North Catasauqua section of the trail, says dogs must be on a leash, and all other animals are prohibited without special approval from council.

Paone asked Brett to inspect the sign and make sure what it says is reflective of the official rules in the ordinance.

Brett also reported he has received several complaints about a red fox seen in the area of Wyandotte and Lincoln streets. Borough officials were in agreement foxes and other wildlife have likely been displaced by the new housing development in Willowbrook.

Brett explained seeing foxes in daylight is not abnormal this time of year because they are out to find food for their babies. However, if any animal indicates signs of mange, then residents should call the police nonemergency number at 610-437-5252 right away.

Borough council continued its discussion on the selling of the property at 408 Buttonwood St. Mayor William Molchany and Councilwoman Jessica Cope both spoke to ReMax in Whitehall to get an opinion on whether the borough would be better off hiring a real estate agent to help them sell the property or sell it themselves through auction.

After some discussion, council agreed hiring an agent will likely get them the most exposure at the lowest cost. Cope was asked to follow up with the agent she spoke to and get a contract. Council members hope to have an agreement of sale by May 16.

The meeting concluded in a private executive session where council discussed potential litigation against Umbriac Trucking, the construction contractor hired for the much-delayed trailhead access road project at the borough’s Main Street public works complex.