During their Monday, July 1 meeting, council unanimously approved four honorary resolutions.
Recently retired Municipal Authority and former Civil Service Commission member, Harry Lance, was honored for his faithful service to the borough with exemplary public service for the last two decades.
Mayor Lance E. Colondo expressed Nazareth Borough government’s gratitude for Lance’s many contributions, financial guidance, oversight, general operating expertise and management that he brought to the Municipal Authority.
Colondo added that all of Nazareth benefitted from Lance’s contributions and the effects of his input to make Nazareth a better place to live and work. As such, council and residents are appreciative of Lance and his more than 20 years of public service.
Following, three-time state wrestling champion Sean Kinney was honored for his third consecutive state championship in the 285 lb. weight classification. In so doing, he has become Nazareth High School’s 31st state champion.
Council commended Kinney for his tremendous and unmatched athletic achievements, becoming Nazareth’s second three-time state wrestling champion.
Kinney will be attending Lafayette College this fall on a football scholarship.
Tahir Parkins was also honored and congratulated for his 2024 state wrestling championship in the 133 lb. weight classification, making him Nazareth’s 30th state champion.
Parkins had a 41-2 senior season and 102-12 overall career record on the mat at the national, regional and state level, and will continue his wrestling career this fall at Rutgers University.
Next, the Nazareth Lady Blue Eagles softball team was honored for their second consecutive East Penn League Championship as Coach Steve Genzale and his staff guided the group of girls to unprecedented success in both 2023 and 2024.
Colondo remarked that the team has brought incredible honor to themselves, their school and to the community through their hard work, dedication and on-field successes by winning their second consecutive East Penn Conference Championship.
“To the wonderful group of softball players and deserving young ladies who have made us all extremely proud, Nazareth Borough Council is pleased to once again congratulate the Nazareth Blue Eagles Softball team,” Colondo added.
In other business, the following public property agenda items were unanimously approved: use of the Essroc Fields soccer complex by Nazareth Youth Soccer for the fall season; use of the amphitheater on Monday and Friday evenings through November by the Nazareth Soccer Club; purchase and installation of an outdoor air conditioner unit and air handler for the arts center at a cost of $11,173; and supply of two porta potties for Nazareth Nite Out on Friday, July 19.
Under police, council unanimously approved “all day” free meter parking downtown on Friday, July 19 and Saturday, July 20 for Sidewalk Sales, the Nazareth Nite Out Block Party, the Saturday Farmer’s Market and all downtown Nazareth Day events, as well as a resolution certifying the borough’s filing of a 2024 Northampton County Public Safety Grant seeking funding for two license plate readers to be placed along the Route 248 corridor at South Broad and South Green streets and the hire of Kerry Frey as a parking enforcement officer.
The monthly police report for June included 319 total police activity/calls for service, 14 crimes reported and investigated, 10 criminal arrests, one drug-related crime, one Part 1 offense, 109 traffic citations, 95 warnings issued, two reportable traffic accidents and eight non-reportable accidents. There were also 154 parking enforcement officer violations, 74 parking enforcement officer issued violations and 228 total parking tickets issued for the month of June.
Agenda items under law were unanimously approved by council and included the following motions: advertisement of an amendment to the parking ordinance to identify the specific streets in the school zone subject to the resident permit parking or other parking restrictions; advertisement of an amendment to the parking ordinance to establish a program for “Resident Permit Parking Only” in certain areas in the school zone; advertisement of a revision to the ordinance involving food trucks to eliminate the need for a food truck permit if the food truck is on private property; a change to the council by-laws to move the responsibilities for Economic Development matters from the Technology Committee to the Finance Committee; and establishment of the long-standing policy regarding flag poles located on borough property, that no flag shall be flown on borough flag poles except for the American flag, the Pennsylvania state flag, flags associated with Nazareth’s Fire Department, Police Department and EMS or flags associated with the U.S. military.
Due to an accident that caused the Nazareth Fire Department fire chief to sustain significant injuries, council appointed Joe Ianovale as interim chief and Frank Betz III as interim assistant chief until further notice.
For the month of May, Vigilance Hose Company No. 1 answered 32 service calls, which included nine fire alarms, three motor vehicle accidents, one wire problem, one EMS assist, two burn complaints, one gas leak, one brush fire, one carbon monoxide alarm and 13 mutual aid calls for five fire alarms, four motor vehicle accidents, one vehicle fire, two commercial structure fires and one gas leak.
The next Nazareth Borough Council meeting will be held at Borough Hall on Monday, August 5 at 6 p.m.
