The Borough of Bath Council meeting on Monday, November 8, was a busy one for members of council, manager Brad Flynn, and Mayor Fiorella Mirabito.
Several business owners approached council with concerns over parking. Tom Yost, of Mattie’s Strudel Haus on West Main Street, said cars have been parking in their loading area in the evenings and on weekends. Meanwhile, Paul’s Garage on West Northampton Street is also having difficulty with illegal parking. Cars have been parking in front of the business’s entrance and exit, blocking customers and employees from leaving.
Council will look into painting a yellow curb outside of Paul’s Garage and investigate the parking concerns on West Main Street. Residents or business owners who notice parking violations are encouraged to call parking enforcement officer Onix Reyes-Santiago at 484-225-0728.
In other news, council authorized Flynn to sign an emergency contract with Bracalente Construction for paving on Independence Avenue and Easter Terrace. Wearing course was to be placed by the borough’s public works crew and Upper Nazareth Township after a previous contractor provided an unsatisfactory job on Penn Street; however, Upper Nazareth is unavailable due to timing.
With asphalt plants closing for the winter, only one contractor was available to perform the work.
“Our options are limited,” said Councilman Frank Hesch. “We need to get this done.”
Without the wearing course, the road could fall apart during the winter. A special engineer who analyzed the project has already observed safety concerns.
While Pennsylvania’s prevailing wage act would apply to this construction, thus increasing the price, council acknowledged they are between a “rock and a hard place,” though to no fault of their own. Ultimately, the road must be paved for the safety of residents.
In other news, the Bath Republican Club, which set out to raise $10,000 for the Parks & Recreation Committee, will be presenting their donation to council during the December meeting. For several months, the club has been fundraising to help purchase playground equipment for the borough.
It was also announced that Ciff Cowling Field may be getting a new stage. Councilman Barry Fenstermaker will be working with the borough engineer and Mirabito to plan out and estimate a possible bandshell at Ciff Cowling Park for future concerts and performances.
Finally, council unanimously approved the 2022 budget. While there is no property tax increase, council did approve a .25 mill fire tax increase to support the needs of the volunteer fire department. This is the first fire tax increase since 2016.
Upcoming events in the borough include an electronic recycling event on Saturday, November 13, from 9 a.m. to noon at Fireman’s Field; a Monocacy Creek cleanup on November 13 from 9 to 11 a.m.; and the annual tree lighting at Monocacy Creek Park on November 28 at 6 p.m. Finally, the Pennsylvania State Police will be at the December council meeting on Monday, December 6, at 6:30 p.m to talk to residents and answer any questions. Residents are encouraged to attend.
