During the Nazareth Borough Council meeting on Monday, March 3, Moravian Historical Society Executive Director Susan Ellis provided an update that included some recent highlights and what the community can expect from the historical society in 2025 and 2026.
Ellis shared that in 2024, there were over 50 events that brought approximately 9,167 people to the museum site, with visitors from 39 states and 15 countries across five continents, which had a significantly positive impact on the local economy. Some of the biggest community events included the Annual Arts and Crafts Festival, the popular Hands on History Camp, the Museum Lecture and Music Series, Free Summer Sundays, Passport to History Weekend, Christmas in Nazareth, Historic Nazareth Walking Tours and Spooky Walking Tours.
Recent highlights included the special six-page exhibition featured in ANTIQUES magazine that reached 20,000 people through print, 7,800 website viewers and 16,000 e-newsletter subscribers; research from three prominent experts found the upright piano in the museum was the first piano made in America and the findings were presented at an international music conference in Calgary Canada, as well as published in a peer reviewed academic journal that also won a prize; filming for a documentary that aired on Japanese Public Broadcasting; recent digitization of historic archives and photographs that was funded through $75,000 in grants from the American Historical Association and the National Endowment for the Humanities; and on July 26, 2024, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage Committee voted to inscribe four 18th century Moravian Church settlements as a transnational world heritage site, which has increased visitation.
Upcoming programming includes the 47th Annual Arts and Crafts Festival on Saturday, June 7 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. that is free to attend and features more than 100 local artists, live music, kids activities and a variety of food and drinks; the preservation project of the 1740 Gray Cottage, which will replace the lowest sill logs and restore others; and planning for America’s 250th for a special exhibition interpreting Nazareth’s history during the American Revolution and a series of related programs, including concerts on the 1776 Tannenberg Organ.
During regular business, a motion was passed to ratify the final purchase of the Black Rock Woods 41-acre parcel with settlement occurring in early April. Councilpersons Michael J. Kopach and Carl A. Fischl opposed the approval.
Under public property agenda items, the following motions were approved unanimously: the request of SOAR Summer Camp for use of the park for six weeks with daily rental fees of $140 for days when the camp is operational and not shut down for weather, which is a $15 increase from the previous year, and outlines a two-year contract/lease with a rate of $145 per day in 2026; the request of Nazareth Area Youth Baseball for use of the park on May 3 and 10 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. for team and player photos; a new one-year lease with Joy Supinsky and Steve Shiffert and their joint LLC for rental of the refreshment stand for the 2025 pool season at a rate of $4,800, which is the same cost as the previous year; opening of the skate park on April 1; the Eagle Scout Project of Michael Hurd for the installation of GaGa Recreational Pits in the park; for the Nazareth Block Party to be held on Friday, July 18 beginning at 6 p.m. with Belvidere Street being closed from South Main Street to Broad Street; and the request of Nazareth Youth Baseball for use of the large pavilion in the park on April 14-16 from 5-8 p.m. for uniform handouts.
Under finance and economic development, council unanimously approved motions to acknowledge receipt of the $28,909.01 Service Electric cable TV franchise fees for 2024 (down $3,000 from previous year), acknowledge receipt of the $36,158.45 astound/RCN cable TV franchise fees for 2024 (down $5,000 from previous year) and the new Borough 2025 Handbook to comply with the auditor’s requirement that the handbook be officially approved each year by council.
Council also unanimously approved the route and other details of the fire company’s Shamrock 5K Race/Walk on Saturday, March 15.
The Vigilance Hose Company No. 1 Fire Chief’s Report for the month of January included 30 total service calls, consisting of 10 fire alarms, two wire problems, two EMS assists and one high occupancy fire, as well as mutual aid calls for three fire alarms, four motor vehicle accidents, five dwelling fires, one vehicle fire and two RIT responses.
Additionally, the 2024 statistics for Vigilance Hose revealed 380 incidents in 2024, with 235 incidents being within the borough and 145 incidents being mutual aid calls with neighboring municipalities. 2024 was the busiest year in department history with dispatches to 27.5% more incidents than in 2023. The busiest month was November with 42 incidents and the least busy month was February with 21 incidents. In sum, incidents in 2024 included 40 fires (10.72%), 77 rescue/motor vehicle accidents/emergency medical assist (20.64%), 32 hazardous conditions with no fire (8.58%), 19 service calls (5.09%), 47 good intent calls (12.6%), 152 false alarm/false calls (40.75), one severe weather/natural disaster (0.27%) and 12 special incident types (1.35%).
The monthly police report for February showed 204 total police activity/calls for service, including 23 crimes reported and investigated, six criminal arrests, six drug-related crimes, two Part 1 offenses, 80 traffic violations, 38 warnings issued, 11 reportable and 13 non-reportable traffic accidents, as well as 283 total parking tickets issued for the month and $12,928.53 in fees collected from accident/police report/RTK requests, fines, permits, receipts and tickets.
In other news, council unanimously approved environmental steering agenda items including opening the Yard Waste Facility on Saturday, March 15, hiring Minott L. Coombs to staff the Yard Waste Facility for the 2025 season and direction for the secretary to advertise the Yard Waste Facility’s hours of operation as 12-6 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays and closed on Mondays and Fridays.
Under public works, council unanimously approved the annual Pet Parade on Saturday, May 31 (beginning at Whitfield House and ending at Veteran’s Memorial Field), direction for the secretary to place ads for bids for 2025 miscellaneous rental equipment and road and maintenance materials, and to approve the request of the Nazareth Rotary Club to conduct their annual Park Cleanup Day on Saturday, May 17 beginning at 9 a.m., which is open to the public if residents would like to participate.
Last, President Daniel R. Chiavaroli announced the borough’s acknowledgment of the federal designation of March 29 as Vietnam Veterans Day, which signifies the departure of the last American troops from Vietnam on March 29, 1973.
The next Nazareth Borough Council workshop meeting will be held on Thursday, April 3 and the next regular monthly meeting will be held on Monday, April 7. Until the Council Chambers expansion has been completed, both meetings will begin at 6 p.m. in the Nazareth Regional Ambulance Corps training room, which is located in the back of 519 Seip Ave.
