The Borough of Bath council met on Monday, March 2 at 6:30 p.m. in the Bath Borough building.
Mayor Fiorella Mirabito opened the meeting by remembering Agnes Melinsky, who passed away on February 28. Melinsky was one of the founders of the Bath Museum and was very active with the Bath Crime Watch.
Mayor Mirabito paid tribute to Melinsky with a quote from Martin Luther King, Jr. that she said described Melinsky in a nutshell: “Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”
After a moment of silence for Melinsky, Mayor Mirabito recognized Borough of Bath employee and volunteer firefighter John Ashworth for his bravery in a January house fire. Ashworth was also recognized by representatives for Senator Mario Scavello and State Representative Joe Emrick.
A large portion of Bath’s council meeting was dedicated to the Route 248 realignment presentation, as well as public comments and questions on the matter.
There is $4.5 million set aside for the realignment project; Michael McGuire said the project will hopefully start construction during the summer of 2022.
The realignment project is meant to ease truck traffic and congestion in the area where Main Street hits Route 987 and crosses Route 512, according to McGuire. More specifically, the plan is to build a new, expanded bridge on Northampton Street between Routes 987 and 248 that will eliminate the truck restriction on the bridge. The plan also includes increasing capacity to provide a left turn lane there.
Steve Giampaolo, senior project manager at McMahon Associates, explained the project in further detail. During the first year of construction, a detour for both pedestrians and vehicles will be in place while they work on the intersection realignment; this detour should not impact the businesses along Northampton Street.
The next phase of construction will address the bridge and get it in better condition so that trucks can drive on it. The final phase of construction will put state-mandated sidewalks, drainage systems, and pavement on the road, as well as signage and road markings, according to Giampaolo.
Once the realignment presentation concluded, community members present at the meeting were allowed to ask clarifying questions or make comments on the plan. The owner of the Learn-N-Play Daycare, Anabela Araujo, was concerned that the detour and construction area are going to be so close to the daycare and the playground. Another concern was the potential loss of parking in the Borough as a result of the realignment.
After a short recess following PennDOT’s Route 248 realignment presentation, the council meeting addressed varying topics, including a resolution on parking meters in the parking lot. The parking meters will be in effect starting May 1, 2020 weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Parking for borough meetings will be excluded from charge.
The next monthly Borough of Bath Council meeting will be held on Monday, April 6.
