Despite the heavy volume of residents present during the North Catasauqua Borough Council meeting last month, the room was left empty during the Feb. 5 regular meeting. Nonetheless, North Catasauqua Fire Department Chief Roger Scheirer issued a formal statement following concerns about the fire department and its presence at the 90 Bridge St., Catasauqua, station.

Scheirer began by saying the decision to operate out of the Bridge Street station was made during public meetings and stressed nothing was discussed behind closed doors. He provided statistics that aided in the decision to regionalize the fire companies of North Catasauqua and Catasauqua boroughs.

According to Scheirer, in 2021, North Catasauqua operated out of the station at 1066 Fourth St., and the average response time from dispatch to arrival was eight minutes.

In 2023, he said, the department operated entirely out of the Bridge Street station, and the dispatch to arrival time decreased to six minutes and 33 seconds.

The transition has cut down response times and has provided more manpower, which has only gone on to better support both boroughs, Scheirer said.

During his emergency management report, Scheirer mentioned the borough will be assisting East Allen and Allen townships while the Willowbrook bridge is closed for construction. The bridge is expected to remain closed until spring.

The fire department will help the two townships from Ray Street to the southern end of the bridge, as the construction will make it more difficult for Allen and East Allen emergency responders to get to these areas promptly.

North Catasauqua Police Department Chief Chris Wolfer also provided his end-of-year report for 2023 to council. He discussed a comparison of call types between 2021 and 2023, showing an increase in several categories, such as felonious burglary, public intoxication, armed robbery and drug overdose, just to name a few. There were also decreases seen in some categories, such as reckless driving and fraud.

Wolfer also shared a list of accomplishments from 2023, including partnering with Lehigh Township Police Department and joining the Northampton County DUI Task Force. The police department also participated in seven active-shooter drills with the entire force at various locations, such as Catasauqua High School and Suburban North Family YMCA.

The police department was able to secure funding by dispersing impounded vehicles and used all of the proceeds to cover the costs of acquiring new patrol firearms, with the most advanced optics and lighting system, at a value of $15,860.

The department was also awarded funding from the Trooper Keaton Foundation, which was used to purchase a new preliminary breath-testing device, which is valued at $1,200. In total, the department applied for eight grants throughout 2023 and was awarded seven of those grants.

In other funding news, Councilwoman Michele Hazzard shared the 2023 treasurer’s report for the recreation committee, stating the committee was awarded a grant from Whitehall Area Chamber of Commerce for $2,200, which was used to purchase a handicap-accessible picnic table.

They were also awarded a Northampton County hotel grant in the amount of $4,000, which was used to hold a series of concerts with The Clap, Shark Sandwich and Flirtin’ with the Mob.

The recreation committee donated $6,395.64 back to the community through the purchase of new police lockers and new aluminum picnic tables. It also donated $584 to the Jess Fin Foundation.

In other news, resolution 386 was approved to amend the fee schedule. This was first discussed during the Jan. 2 meeting earlier this year, and the amendment purposed is to cover anticipated fees with application processing the borough has been covering unintentionally. The 2024 fee schedule has been posted to the borough website for review.

Council went into executive session at the end of the meeting to discuss legal and personnel matters. After the session, the public was welcomed back into the room, and council took a formal vote to approve the settlement regarding Officer Brian Douglas. This matter has been discussed during executive sessions throughout the 2023 year. With the matter coming to a close, council will discuss listing a full-time police officer role during the next meeting.

Council will gather again Feb. 19 in the basement-level meeting room at borough hall, 1066 Fourth St. To view the agenda ahead of time, visit northcatasauqua.org and click on the news tab.