The Nazareth Borough Council held their first meeting of the new year on January 4 at 6 p.m.; the meeting was held virtually to comply with state and federal COVID-19 guidelines. Since this was the first meeting, there were many routine tasks to take care of.
As usual, the meeting opened up with comments from citizens in attendance. Jason Hasker, a borough resident, asked about plans for expanding and connecting Nazareth’s recreational trails. Hasker is willing to volunteer his time and ideas to help this idea come to life. There are no plans at this time, but the topic will be discussed at the public property committee meeting.
Jessica O’Donnell and Lauren Bertucci from the Nazareth Area Chamber of Commerce were also in attendance to express their gratitude to council for their help and support with Christmas in Nazareth and the tree-lighting ceremony. Two representatives with different Nazareth softball groups thanked Borough Council for allowing them to use the softball field to develop the program.
Council approved a motion to hire Mike Collins of Barry Isett Engineering, Inc. as the Borough’s building code official, effective immediately. Jacob Hartzell, a newly-hired police officer, will start on February 1, as approved by council.
Council president Daniel Chiavaroli was appointed to a five-year team on the Ambulance Board, and councilman Carl R. Strye Jr. was appointed to a five-year term on the Nazareth Day Commission. Mark Ortwein was appointed to a four-year term on the Borough’s Planning Commission, while Ryan Wheatley was appointed to a three-year term on the Borough’s Zoning Hearing Board.
Finally, PennDOT will be paving Route 248 sometime in 2021. However, there are three other projects going on nearby, including tunnel work on Broad Street and railroad signal changes; council will have to coordinate these projects so they don’t interfere with each other.
The next Nazareth Borough Council meeting will be held on Monday, February 1 at 6 p.m.
