The Sept. 19 Hellertown Council meeting kicked off on an unexpected note, as President Thomas Rieger announced the resignation of Gil Stauffer, the body’s vice president. Stauffer, a councilor since 2018, was not in attendance. Interviews to fill the vacancy will occur at the Oct. 3 meeting, Rieger added.

Garrett Powell, representing the newly-established Hellertown Climate Action Plan Committee, spoke before the council. He proposed “electrification” of the borough - the shift to using electricity rather than burning fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal for heating and cooking.

Powell said that he and councilor/fellow CAP committee member Terri Fadem met with officials from Bethlehem to discuss the neighboring city’s CAP. Acknowledging the distinctions between the two municipalities, they determined a “project-by-project” approach was likely more practical for Hellertown.

Fadem reiterated Powell’s assertion that financing would probably be the effort’s most burdensome obstacle. Unlike Bethlehem, the borough doesn’t have “tens of thousands of dollars,” she said, adding, “we’re just starting to scratch the surface with this... a full [CAP] is probably not the best fit for Hellertown at this time.”

Hellertown Historical Society Director Donald Mills – who, in a later, separate piece of business was appointed to the borough’s Zoning Board – presented an updated version of a 1990s-era walking tour, initially developed by a then-aspiring Eagle Scout, Nathan Young.

Mills said he initially suggested resurrecting the idea during the society’s discussions concerning its Community Day contributions. During subsequent research, he found over three miles’ worth of landmarks, which he then separated into three distinct segments, Mills said.

To promote the initiative, Mayor David Heintzelman suggested borough officials establish a dedicated day sometime in November to invite the community to explore the route. Mills added that the multi-page tour guide he created is available for download on the HHS’s website, and physical copies can be obtained from the society, as well.

In other news, the council discussed, but ultimately tabled, a request to (re-)install two-hour parking on a heavily-traveled segment of Main Street that’s home to several businesses.

Borough Manager Cathy Hartranft relayed that the owner of Yeager’s Pharmacy emailed Zoning and Codes Officer Kris Russo, claiming that signage in the vicinity of his storefront on the 600 block advising motorists of the ordinance had been removed. However, Russo affirmed that his research showed no ordinance on the borough’s books.

Ultimately, with enforcement all but impossible without an edict, the council decided to revisit the request at the next meeting, allowing Public Works Director Barry Yonney and police Chief Robert Shupp time to perform further investigation.