Two timely topics took precedence at the July 18 meeting of the Hellertown council: Climate action and public safety.

Council member Theresa Fadem and Hellertown resident Garrett Powell provided an update on a proposed borough Climate Action Plan. They have met twice since mid-May, mostly reviewing climate strategies developed by Bethlehem and Easton, she said.

While Bethlehem has set a lofty goal of a 60% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, the group’s proposed target for Hellertown would be significantly less, Fadem said.

When council member Matt Marcincin asked, Powell said that the first tangible steps in implementing a plan are data collection - statistics such as energy use and costs, he said - and establishing an “authority and accountability structure,” such as Bethlehem’s Environmental Advisory Council.

Council President Thomas Rieger suggested holding a forum to allow community members to weigh in and volunteered to offer his “time and talents. Fadem agreed, saying “I think it’s essential” and noted that Bethlehem brought representatives from all of their departments to the drafting table, encouraging Hellertown to do the same.

The council also unanimously authorized four new hires by the Hellertown Police Department: Denis Connelly and Jaron Steinmetz as full-time officers, with Jada Roderick and Austin Signarovitz joining on a part-time basis.

Connelly and Steinmetz – initially hired together as part-time officers by the borough in June 2021 – were to begin full-time status Monday. Additionally, despite having “a couple of things they need to complete,” Police Chief Robert Shupp asked the council to expedite Roderick and Signarovitz’s conditional employment to fill those vacated part-time positions.

Engineer Bryan Smith provided an update on the new Public Works building. He said that the contractor, Pioneer Pole Buildings of Schuylkill Haven, is “scheduled to have a substantial completion” by July’s end.

After a brief moment of chatter among the council, Rieger questioned the facility’s readiness, as he and council member Earl Hill recently walked the site and found a “significant number” of issues, including gaps in the weather-stripping of door frames, he said.

Additionally, Smith noted that the location of a presumed leak in the building’s fire suppression system still has yet to be found, with more testing needed. The Hellertown Borough Authority is working with Pioneer to determine whose responsibility the issue primarily is, he said.

However, Rieger expressed a degree of frustration, saying it sounded like the two parties were trying to “pass the buck” to each other. He further noted that without the fire suppression system’s functionality, “substantial completion” will not be achieved without passing crucial code inspections.