The two-plus hour-long Oct. 17 Hellertown Council meeting was eventful, with a host of borough business taking place.

Multiple new faces were welcomed by the council, as it was not only Liz Thompson’s first full meeting as councilor, but Saucon Valley HS Junior Kimberly Moser was sworn in by Mayor David Heintzelman as a junior member – the council’s first in several years.

Moser, who borough Manager Cathy Hartranft said is currently first in her class, plans to be a lawyer. She is the daughter of Joseph and Kristine Moser. As a junior councilor, she can participate in discussions but cannot vote.

The board also interviewed two candidates for a vacancy on the Zoning Hearing Board: Melissa Hutchison and William “Bill” R. Rowe, III.

Rowe, a 15-plus-year Hellertown resident and compliance officer for Cantor Fitzgerald & Co./volunteer director with local charity the Elevate Foundation, was a candidate for Thompson’s seat on the council at the Oct. 3 meeting.

After losing out on that bid, the Bethlehem native was asked at that evening’s conclusion if he would like to be considered to fill the newly-established vacancy on the ZHB. The seat became open at the same meeting when the board accepted the resignation of Larry Sutton, whose term expires at the end of December.

Hutchison, a borough resident since 2016 and Phillipsburg native, said she is a professional licensed engineer currently serving six municipalities in Pike and Monroe counties.

She said she’s been interested in serving on either the ZHB or planning commission for “a while now,” and believes zoning is a “black-and-white” issue. Hutchison added that she believed her experience made her particularly qualified for the role.

The council, along with Heintzelman, said that it was a “hard decision,” adding, “we as a community are so blessed with qualified people.” Ultimately, the board chose Hutchison but encouraged Rowe to continue his interest in serving the borough.

Rob de Beer, a developer with the Peron Group, joined in a pre-scheduled appearance to present its concept plan for 1770 Main St. – known locally as the Champion Spark Plug site, due to its one-time occupant.

The building – located next to the Star Pre-Owned of Hellertown auto dealership and at the entrance to Interstate 78 - is “a challenging site,” de Beer said. Due to existing environmental restrictions, he noted, the property has changed hands between developers multiple times.

Peron, along with design-build firm J.G. Petrucci of Asbury, NJ, intends on razing the current structure and replacing it with a modern medical office building, de Beer said. While the site is large enough for multiple structures, the back half of the property will serve as overflow parking and as a “buffer zone” for runoff and other possible pollutants, he added.

Council President Thomas Rieger supported the idea, as he said that the large building - in his words at the “gateway to Hellertown” - has sat vacant “since the mid-’80s.” He added that in comparison to other historical proposals, this plan’s need for zoning variances is “very diminished.”

In other developments, Rieger delivered somewhat unexpected, but potentially positive news.

On Oct. 3, borough solicitors and municipal managers met with their Lower Saucon Township counterparts to discuss the formal termination of their relationship. There, it was suggested that a full severing of the municipalities’ joint ventures – currently including the pool, compost center and community center – might still be avoided.

A subsequent letter, penned by the Hellertown solicitor, to Lower Saucon included a list of requests to restore “good faith” between the parties, Rieger said.

These included paying an outstanding invoice from the Hellertown library for services in February 2022 and dropping a current lawsuit. Only then would the borough’s council appoint its officials to a joint committee dedicated to exploring the continuation of some or all of its previous ventures, he added.

Borough engineer Bryan Smith of Barry Isett & Associates provided an update on planned improvements to the pedestrian crossing on Durham Street at the Hellertown Pool.

The lowest of three bids the borough received on the project was from Baseline Contracting of Coplay for $65,000, he said.

so the $40,000 of the cost is covered by a Community Development Block Grant, and another $10,000 was obtained in additional funding. The remainder would need to be covered by the borough’s capital improvement fund and authorized by the council.

Police Chief Robert Shupp expressed his support for the project, saying, “if there’s an area that needs a crosswalk [that’s not Main Street], this is it.” Ultimately, after some discussion regarding the availability of borough funds and current allocations, the council approved the remaining $15,000.

Hartranft reported on Sept. 2021 inspections of the borough’s bridges, saying aside from some maintenance issues, there were “critical findings.” Rieger said it had been about a decade since any major work had been done, and asked Smith to see if there are any minor concerns that he and Public Works Director Barry Yonney believe should be taken care of in the near term.

In other business, Deborah Bacon of Zelenkofske Axelrod delivered the borough’s 2021 fiscal audit report. Findings were “clean,” she said, adding, “all the records are in great shape [and] I have to commend your finance department.”

Roberta Blackwell of the Saucon Valley Community Center was also on hand, delivering a final report on its inaugural Hellertown Parks Program for the 2022 season. The program, which was offered to borough children at Water Street Park served 34 children through two separate sessions in the summer, and will be offered again in 2023, she said.