A new quality-of-life ordinance regulating the health, safety and cleanliness of the Borough of Northampton went into effect on May 1. This ordinance, approved by borough council in April, will levy compounding fines for property maintenance and snow removal violations, among others.
During the May 1 council meeting, Borough Manager Brian Welsko urged residents to read the ordinance online and become familiar with the new regulations. Borough regulations for alarms, animal control, construction codes, bicycles, parks and recreation, property maintenance, solid waste, snow/ice removal and street storage/waste dumpsters are subject to this ordinance under the jurisdiction of code enforcement.
A violation ticket will be issued upon the first offense. Upon the second offense within a 12-month rolling period, property owners will receive a $25 ticket. Property owners have 10 days to pay the fine and abate the issue. These fines will compound over the 12 months, with charges of $50 for the third violation, $150 for the fourth and $600 for all subsequent violations.
In other news, council commended the borough’s volunteer fire department for their response to an April 28 fire that destroyed two homes on Stark Street. No residents were injured, but 11 individuals were displaced.
“I am proud of all the firefighters and fire personnel,” said Councilman Ronald Knopf. “This fire could have been a tragic disaster to the whole block.”
Councilman Jason Donohue called out neighbors who helped rescue residents and their pets from the burning home.
Three GoFundMe fundraisers for the affected residents have been established: https://gofund.me/9bb1c6bf, https://gofund.me/dd5b41f6 and https://gofund.me/567d0056.
In addition, donations such as gift cards, can be dropped off at Rita’s on Main Street or Cakes on Main.
Residents with donations or questions may also contact Councilwoman Bonnie Almond directly.
Almond praised the community for coming together and helping the families impacted “rebuild hope.”
“I thank our community for the outpouring of generosity, support and love to these families,” she said.
Finally, several borough events were announced. The borough’s fire department will hold its monthly breakfast on Sunday, May 11, from 8-11 a.m. before a brief summer hiatus.
Meanwhile, the borough pool will officially open on Saturday, June 7 at noon. Pool passes are available for purchase from the recreation center.
The next borough council meeting will be on Thursday, May 15 at 7 p.m.
