During the North Catasauqua Borough Council meeting June 19, borough Treasurer Christina Czonstka announced the borough received the last installment from the Northampton County Livable Landscapes Fund in the amount of $46,718.

The original grant from this fund totaled $500,000 and was awarded to the borough in 2020. The grant was used to perform work on the D&L Trail between Northampton and North Catasauqua boroughs and aimed to connect and close gaps on the trail.

Council President Peter Paone said this project would not have been made possible without the help of a great team, including D&L National Heritage Corridor representatives Lauren Golden, Liz Rosencrans and Clair Sadler; North Catasauqua and Northampton boroughs; Nate McCulloch, PE, with Wilson Consulting; JR Kennedy Excavating and Paving; Northampton County; and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

It was reported significant progress has been made on the D&L Trail, thanks to the restoration project that spanned five counties. The work done on the North Catasauqua and Northampton trail segments has closed the gaps within Northampton County, which is the second county to be fully connected along the trail.

A map that details the trail’s progress is available at delawareandlehigh.org/map.

In other business at the meeting, council discussed a lack of parking within the borough. Parking is prohibited on Grove Street from March 1 to Nov. 1, and there is a parking restriction on Howertown Road between Grove and Liberty streets.

The intention behind this restriction is to protect the high volume of pedestrian traffic from soccer games and use of North Catasauqua William J. Albert Memorial Park, 701 Grove St. While this restriction has benefited foot traffic, there is now a concern about the lack of available parking for vehicles.

Furthermore, since there is a parking restriction, the street appears to be wider and this has resulted in vehicles reportedly cruising down Grove Street at a higher speed.

While the borough does not intend to lift the restrictions, council is discussing some methods to combat the speeding drivers, such as barriers to narrow down the street during the summer months.

Council members discussed some options but ultimately tabled the idea at this meeting since both police Chief Chris Wolfer and fire Chief Roger Scheirer were absent. It is expected council will discuss this matter during the next meeting.

A reminder was mentioned about the summer park activities. Steel Creek will be performing 6-9 p.m. July 12 at the North Catasauqua park, with a rain date set for July 13, and Shark Sandwich will play 6-9 p.m. July 27, with a rain date of Aug. 3.

The next council meeting will be held 7 p.m. July 17 at borough hall, 1066 Fourth St. To view the agenda ahead of time, visit northcatasauqua.org under the news section.