State Sen. Lisa Boscola

CONSUMER PROTECTION: Sen. Lisa Boscola announced Feb. 3 the approval of Senate Bill 154 to restore and improve The Responsible Utility Customer Protection Act (“Chapter 14”). The bill now moves to the House Consumer Protection, Technology & Utilities Committee for further consideration. Chapter 14, the law which provided protections like the winter termination moratorium and payment arrangements to customers with unpaid utility bills, expired Dec. 31, 2024. The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission acted to extend these key protections until the legislature could act. SB154 reenacts these protections while strengthening consumer safeguards, including longer medical certificates, improved payment plans, and stronger notice requirements before shut-offs.

State Rep. Bob Freeman

MAIN STREET: Freeman’s legislation that allows communities to extend their participation in the state’s Main Street program for up to a total of 10 years was signed into law by Governor Josh Shapiro Nov. 1.

Act 128 (formerly H.B. 450) gives the state Department of Community and Economic Development authority to grant up to an additional five years for administrative costs associated with employing a Main Street manager if it determines that it would be beneficial to the community in reaching its revitalization goals.

The Main Street Act was created to provide grants for commercial downtown revitalization efforts, including infrastructure improvements, marketing and promoting the established commercial downtown within the Main Street area, and façade grants, all under the direction of a Main Street manager. Currently, grants for a maximum of five years may be made to support and implement the efforts of a Main Street manager.

Freeman said Easton’s successful Main Street program, which became nationally accredited in 2007, has been recognized with various awards from the Pennsylvania Downtown Center, the city of Easton, Lafayette College, Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp., Pennsylvania Pursuits magazine and Two Rivers Area Chamber of Commerce, and was declared the No. 1 performing Main Street program in Pennsylvania four times.

DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS: Freeman announced Nov. 1 more than $6 million in state grants have been awarded to development projects in Easton and Hellertown.

Silk Mill Redevelopment Co.: $3.62 million

This project will entail the construction and development of a Federally Qualified Health Care Clinic to be operated by Valley Health Partners, an affiliate of the Lehigh Valley Health Network, which will offer a wide range of services, including pediatrics, family medicine, vision, dental, integrated behavioral health, OB/GYN, social services, and a walk-in pharmacy.

PD Hellertown LLC: $1.25 million

This project calls for the abatement and demolition of a former industrial manufacturing facility and the construction of a medical office building. The funds will be used to assist in the acquisition of the property, the abatement and demolition of the existing building, the protection of the existing environmental protective cap and the implementation of the site improvements proposed across the property necessary for the construction of the medical office building.

Skyline Investment Group Easton LLC: $500,000

The project at the Dixie Cup factory site redevelopment involves public site improvements including open space improvements, overall site landscaping, upgrading site utilities, and improving the public venue along the Two Rivers Trail.

The Nurture Nature Center: $500,000

The funds will be used for construction costs related to the building envelope restoration, infrastructure and sustainability upgrades. This includes rehabilitation of the historic Northampton Street façade, including repointing masonry; air sealing; repair and preservation of wood trim; stabilization and/or replacement of existing ornamental masonry; building envelope improvements, including a complete roof replacement with a new, thermally improved roofing system as well as new window and door systems; structural reinforcement of the roof; replacement of outdated HVAC system.

Watermark Easton LLC: $250,000

This new construction project, located at 45 Larry Holmes Drive in Easton, includes a 250-space parking deck flanked by two buildings containing a total of 150 apartment units. Each building will be approximately 21,700 square feet and offer residential space with balconies and views of the Delaware River. All parking required for the development will be provided for on-site, so this project will not burden the already stressed parking infrastructure of the city.

The funds were acquired through the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program, a state grant program for the design, acquisition and construction of regional economic, cultural, civic, recreational and historical improvement projects. RACP projects have a regional impact and generate substantial increases or maintain current levels of employment, tax revenues or other measures of economic activity. RACP projects are state-funded projects that cannot obtain primary funding under other state programs.

SHARE ACCOUNT GRANTS: Freeman announced Oct. 23 that Local Share Account grants include:

Freemansburg Borough – $485,000 toward the second phase of building a community center. This phase of the project will consist of construction that will entail the installation of all interior finishing, lighting, plumbing, heating and cooling systems, bathroom fit out, kitchen fit out, and exterior walkways and concrete areas to provide access to and from the community center. Once this phase is completed the facility will provide the community with an indoor space where numerous diverse events can occur, and it can be used if needed for a temporary shelter for emergencies. In 2023, the project was awarded LSA statewide funds for Phase 1 of the project to construct the shell of the building.

Hellertown Borough – $86,444 on behalf of Dewey Fire Co. No. 1, for stormwater improvements to the fire company property. The company has experienced multiple flooding incidents and is at risk of being dropped by their flood insurance company. The total project cost is $246,945 and previous grants were awarded for it through the LSA.

Hellertown Borough – $71,755 to enhance safety at their four signalized intersections by replacing the remaining outdated, traditional road embedded loop detectors with video detection at High Street, Water Street, Penn Street and Walnut Street. Despite regular maintenance, loop detectors commonly have problems which require repairs and maintenance and prolong the proper operation at the signals. The proposed project will replace the loop detectors with video detection technology. This technology will allow the timing to be actuated sooner than the loop detectors, before a vehicle comes to the stop bar, which will help queue in this high traffic area and relieve congestion.

Northampton County – $40,000 on behalf of Lafayette College for a regional multimodal trail planning project in Easton. The proposed project will consist of initial planning and design work, including visioning, workshops, analyzing data and existing conditions community engagement, high-level sketch concepts, and development of a final action plan addressing strategically located signage, wayfinding and micro-mobility solutions, such as e-bike and scooter sharing, as well as optimizing bus and shuttle services for better accessibility. The project will lay the groundwork for enhanced connectivity between Easton and Forks Township, focusing on trail development to Lafayette College’s Metzgar Fields, integrating with the Two Rivers Area Greenway, contributing to regional environmental sustainability, and establishing a unified, accessible and sustainable regional community with links to the Delaware and Lehigh Trail network.