During the July 17 Catasauqua Borough Council meeting, Chris Gulotta, of the Lehigh County Redevelopment Authority, spoke with council about a grant application for technical assistance regarding blighted properties.

The RDA is working with Catasauqua Borough and Whitehall and North Whitehall townships on this initiative. The money put into the program by each municipality will be matched by the state to address blighted properties and assist with things like demolition and rehabilitation costs.

“I see this as a down payment of sorts, as the first of other grants to bring money into the municipality,” Gulotta said.

Borough Manager Glenn Eckhart said he and the borough’s code enforcement officer have already identified one property that needs to be demolished. Eckhart noted the current owner does not have the funds for the demolition.

He also added the borough has a list of approximately 15 blighted properties.

“I’m comfortable we can put up money to clean up some properties,” Eckhart said.

Gulotta noted the RDA is excited to work with the borough on projects like this and the Iron Works property. He said the Iron Works project “accomplishes so many objectives.”

In other business, council heard plans to potentially develop land on Pearl Street between 12th and 14th streets.

Reportedly there had been plans for the site in the past, but those plans fell through. A new plan for a town house project was proposed. The plan was brought before council to gauge interest or feedback in the project.

The proposal includes two clusters of five three-story town houses. The development also maintains some open space in the area.

The owner of the properties behind the proposed development shared her concerns about losing access points to her properties. She met with the organizers after the presentation to discuss solutions.

Council members also mentioned concerns over sidewalk connections, maintenance of green space and preservation of trees in the area. These issues will be taken into consideration.

The point of the presentation was to see if council would be open to the development and to garner feedback.

“Go for it, but make sure everyone is happy,” council President Brian Bartholomew said.

Borough Solicitor Christy Schlottman presented three ordinances to the board, requesting approval to advertise. Two ordinances included lateral hiring for the Civil Service Commission and the other adjusted parking areas and signs, such as no parking on 14th Street in the school zone.

Council members also approved to advertise the fireworks ordinance. Schlottman said she was asked to put together an ordinance to restrict firework usage in the borough, including civil and criminal penalties, based off state laws. One such example is that fireworks cannot be set off within 150 feet of a building or vehicle. She also noted there is a difference between display fireworks and consumer fireworks.

Council unanimously approved conditional employment offers to two police patrolman candidates, as recommended by police Chief Doug Kish. He reported one comes from Allentown, and the other is from Stroudsburg.

Additionally, following the recommendations from Kish, council approved two handicapped parking applications. A third was denied due to the availability of off-street parking.

Council also approved a letter of support be sent to state Rep. Jeanne McNeill, D-133rd, and state Sen. Nick Miller, D-14th, regarding dog law legislation.

“They support us, so we support them,” Eckhart said.

Regarding public safety, it was noted the “no turn on red” sign at Race and Second streets is difficult to see, causing a traffic hazard. The borough will reach out to Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to fix the problem.

Vacancies on borough boards were addressed. Tara Nicholas and Gene Goldfeder were approved to fill spots on the planning commission. Mackenzie Brobst will serve as the new alternate on the zoning hearing board.

Brobst, who recently graduated from college with a degree in accounting, also said she had a meeting with Eckhart and borough Treasurer Catherine VanDyne. She said she took a government accounting class in school and thought the meeting was interesting from an educational standpoint.

Mayor Barbara Schlegel commended Brobst and added how impressed she was with a young resident getting interested in local government.

Schlegel also reported the National Night Out event is scheduled for 6-8 p.m. Aug. 1.

Another upcoming event is the third annual Battle of the Balloons with local youth and first responders. It will be held Sept. 9, starting 2 p.m.

There was concern about the presence of dogs in the park during the summer concert series. There have reportedly been issues with unprovoked aggression from some dogs. It was noted there is an ordinance saying dogs are not allowed in the park, and council members said this should be enforced. More signage of this rule was requested.

A resident questioned the status of “slow down” signs around the area, saying traffic is increasing and becoming a safety hazard. He was assured this issue is being addressed, but due to police and public works staffing concerns, more pressing issues have taken priority.

Resident Tammi Hauser approached council saying she was planning a cleanup effort for curbing and sidewalks, particularly for elderly and disabled residents. She said she has already gotten the support of local Boy and Girl Scout troops. She asked if council permission was needed.

Council said permission was not needed but asked they be kept in the loop about possible dates. Eckhart said the borough might have some supplies it could donate to the effort.

Council next meets for committee meetings and a workshop starting 6 p.m. Aug. 7. The next business meeting will be 7 p.m. Aug. 21. All meetings are held at the municipal complex, 90 Bridge St.