During the Bath Borough Council meeting on Monday, April 14, several residents voiced concerns about the deplorable conditions of neighboring properties on Pine Street and East Main Street.
On Pine Street, a resident divulged that she previously alerted the borough and presented proof of a property’s accumulation of garbage, junk, waste, bricks, concrete, dismantled truck parts, metal caging, toolboxes, gas cans, wood, tubing and more that has been dumped on the property and street, which has caused a rat infestation.
“Put on an $80,000 addition on my home and that’s what I have to look at when I look out the front door. It’s abysmal,” she stated.
The resident added that the situation is out of hand and that it falls under the borough’s nuisance code, but nothing has been done about it.
Two other residents that also live on Pine Street attested to the mess as well, asking council what can be done about the situation.
Following, two residents complained about a similar situation on East Main Street, stating that nothing has been done about the issue either.
One resident expressed that the property is so unsightly that she refuses to invite friends and family to her home.
She also shared that the property has been vacant for the past 18 years she has lived there and since October, the situation has been rapidly declining due to her neighbor’s negligence.
The two residents that reside on the street noted there are slates falling off the roof, windows falling out, garbage out front that has caused an infestation of mice, three rusted stationary vehicles in the back and a boat that has sat in the back of the property for 10 years, which was previously parked under a tent that blew over into their yard, breaking their fence.
“The pile just keeps getting higher and it doesn’t matter if I’m at my back door, my upstairs bedroom or my dining room, I look out and all I see is rusted junk. It’s really shameful that you kind of have to be sad to come home to your house after work and look at that,” a resident stated.
“We’re in the process of repainting our façade, doing work on our property on an ongoing basis to improve our property, not to have it being torn down by our neighbor. I think we can all agree that our homes are our biggest investments in life, and if I go to resell my property, I’m very concerned. So, we would appreciate anything this council can do to alleviate,” another resident implored.
Borough Manager Bradford T. Flynn said he would look into the matters.
Additionally, Council Vice President Michele Ehrgott addressed concerns regarding the ongoing issue of residents abusing the privilege of parking in their yards. Ehrgott also revealed that the MS4 projects are ripping up some residents’ yards, which has resulted in mud overflowing onto the streets.
Next, Junior Councilmember Lilah Goldfarb’s mother, Abigail Goldfarb, presented council with some suggestions for helping homeless families with children in the borough improve their quality of life by finding or maintaining suitable and affordable housing after Lilah asked her mother what can be done.
Goldfarb runs a nonprofit in Allentown for the homeless or housing unstable and suggested council consider what can be done to preserve the diverse socioeconomic group that resides in Bath as the population expands, which could prevent people from being priced out and help break the cycle of poverty.
Goldfarb pointed out that keeping up with home repairs can be challenging. However, Pennsylvania recently passed a historic amount of funding for homeowners who earn below the median income to weatherize, upgrade and do façade work on their homes.
She suggested that a first step could be engaging property owners that provide rentals to see what resources they may need to continue renting, as well as offering housing choice vouchers, which were significantly underused last year, leaving 200 unused housing choice vouchers in Northampton County due to stigma surrounding Section 8.
Council President Frank Hesch requested that Goldfarb present the information at the next Community and Economic Development Committee meeting to gain more information on the topic.
In other news, council unanimously approved a series of motions and resolutions aimed at enhancing operations, planning and transparency within the borough. Among the notable developments was the decision to pause a planned bathroom renovation due to sharply increased construction costs. Council intends to explore alternative options to manage costs before moving forward.
Next, council unanimously authorized Borough Solicitor Patrick Armstrong and Manager Flynn to prepare documents for the purchase of a property on Creek Road for $1,500.
Additional unanimous approvals included an amendment to the borough’s Snow & Ice Control Policy, enhancing winter operations; advancement of the Bath Borough Council Handbook as drafted by the PFA Committee on March 19; a $500,000 transfer from the borough’s tax account to its general fund; and acknowledgment of the Bath Fire Department’s 2025 Calendar of Events.
Solicitor Armstrong was also authorized to begin drafting ordinances to adopt both the Official Borough Map and the revised Zoning Map and Overlay Districts. These updates are primarily aimed at clarifying existing zoning regulations, without introducing any new boundary changes.
Following, council unanimously approved two waiver requests from Northampton County related to the Nor-Bath Trail East Extension project, including waivers from stormwater and land development ordinances, both based on the county’s April 1 request letters.
Council also greenlit the purchase of seven new laptops for councilmembers to replace their current tablets, using Drivelocker’s estimate dated April 10.
An easement agreement with Met-Ed was then authorized, allowing for the relocation of a utility pole at 220 W. Northampton St. in Monocacy Creek Park, pending legal review.
In personnel news, Councilman Emanuel Mirabito was appointed as the alternate representative to the Northampton County Tax Collection Committee, abstaining from the vote himself.
Last, council adopted a resolution authorizing the borough’s continued participation in the First Regional Compost Authority agreement and approved a time extension request for a SALDO application at 303 W. Main St., pushing the review period through Oct.30.
Councilman Douglas Hamadyk announced there will be a white item collection in the borough on Saturday, April 19 and another on Saturday, Oct. 18. Residents may place all appliance items curbside for pickup; however, no items containing freon will be accepted.
Due to the overwhelming number of resident concerns regarding the MS4 bills that were recently sent out, council requested that residents direct questions to the MS4 Committee, which meets the fourth Monday of each month at 5 p.m.
Additionally, there will be a free Pa. State Police child safety seat check/install on Monday, May 19 from 2-8 p.m. in the borough’s municipal building parking lot.
The next Bath Borough Council meeting will be held on Monday, May 12 at 6 p.m. in Borough Hall, located at 121 S. Walnut St.
