The Bath Borough Council met Monday, August 7 to discuss Old Home Weekend, cost of parking meters, official map updates, the Route 248 realignment project, and borough ordinances.
During reports, Vice President Frank Hesch announced that the schedule for Old Home Weekend during Thursday, August 10 through Sunday, August 13 is as follows: Thursday, August 10: Movie and Business Night – free outdoor movie showing “The Sandlot” at 7:30/8 p.m. and Bath Borough businesses will be open late with business specials and demos throughout the borough; Friday, August 11: Entertainment Night with comedian Scott Henninger from 6 to 7 p.m. and live music from The Bryant Brothers Band from 7 to 9 p.m.; Saturday, August 12: Activity Day with the annual softball tournament at 12:30 p.m. and live music from The Wonton Soups Band from 5 to 8 p.m.; and Sunday, August 13 will be a rain date for the movie and softball tournament.
All events will be BYOB and BYOC (chair) at Ciff Cowling Field with an open concession stand. Business specials will also be posted on the borough’s Facebook page.
This year, Mayor Fiorella Mirabito’s mission during Old Home Weekend will be a “throw a buck in a truck” fundraiser to purchase school supplies for Bath Borough schools, with the truck being present at every event.
Additionally, Hayes Flowers will be celebrating their 55th anniversary on Business Night, and welcomes the public to join them for cake from 6 to 8 p.m.
In other business, Vice President Hesch brought up the price of the borough’s parking meters, $1 per hour, and would like the borough to reconsider lowering the price in the future, which will be discussed at the next Public Safety Committee meeting.
Borough Engineer Ronald B. Madison reported that an official street overlay map will need to be addressed sometime in the near future since the borough does not currently have one, and that there are some minor corrections that need to be made to the overlay district map regarding zoning.
Madison also shared that he anticipates the Route 248 realignment project will be ready to put out to bid in the spring of 2024.
Borough Manager Bradford T. Flynn will tentatively hold a meeting in January to discuss the project, signage and alternative routes with the public while the road is under construction. More information will be made available in the coming months.
Solicitor James F. Kratz divulged that there is language in the PennDOT SR-248 realignment sidewalk maintenance agreement that he would like to change, so council unanimously granted conditional approval for the agreement based upon the changes Kratz suggested.
Next, council discussed the possible vacation of Wolf Road, which came to their attention recently when a contiguous property owner presented the problem of how the road landlocks part of his property. The resident expressed that he would like to open up his property to put a single-family dwelling on the side of his land connected to Wolf Road. Other parts of the road have already been vacated, but the portion that is connected to his property where he wishes to build the home is not. Solicitor Kratz is looking into the matter.
In other news, council unanimously approved the adoption of Ordinance No. 2023-730 to amend Chapter 625: Vehicles and Traffic. The ordinance will add a 15-minute loading zone near MS Techz Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and creates a fix-it ticket provision for anyone who receives a parking ticket for expired inspection stickers. Those ticketed will be given 15 days to show the vehicle’s inspection, and upon proof of inspection, the borough will void the ticket for first time offenders.
Last, council unanimously approved a motion to advertise the adoption of Ordinance No. 2023-731 for the September meeting. The ordinance will amend Chapter 651: Weeds to clarify that weeds shall not exceed the curb line and eliminates the provision requiring property owners from removing weeds from the gutter between the curb and the street.
The next Bath Borough Council meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 5 at 6 p.m. in the borough’s office building, located at 121 S. Walnut St.
