NEW BETHLEHEM – A nearly brand-new New Bethlehem Borough Council met on Monday evening to reorganize for 2026, welcoming five new members to the seven-member board.
New council members Shannon Johnson, Dawn Callenburg, Ed Goth and Robb Griffin were administered the oath of office; Keegan Bell was absent from the meeting.
They join returning members Scott Barrett and Brian Fox.
At the start of Monday’s reorganization meeting, each council member introduced themselves and explained their motivations for joining the council. The consensus of these statements was that they wanted to make changes in the borough and sit at the table where the decisions are made instead of watching from the sidelines.
Starting the new year, the council elected Barrett as its new president. Goth, who had served previously on the council a number of years ago, was elected vice president. Johnson was elected as the council’s president pro tem.
Also at the Jan. 5 meeting, the council voted to reappoint Andrew Menchyk Jr. as the borough’s solicitor.
The group received a proposal from GFT Infrastructure Inc. and its representative, Thomas L. Thompson, P.E., to continue serving as the borough’s engineering firm. The approval of this proposal was tabled for further discussion at the council’s January meeting due to concerns about the terms of the contract.
The Rev. Dr. Gordon Barrows, New Bethlehem mayor, was appointed to serve as one of the borough’s representatives to the Southern Clarion County Regional Police Department board of directors. A second representative is still needed. A representative does not need to be a member of borough council and can be any citizen of New Bethlehem Borough. The council invites any interested persons to contact the borough office at (814) 275-2003 or info@newbethlehemboro.com.
Barrows and outgoing councilman Don Heeter will continue to serve as representatives on the Redbank Valley Municipal Authority board of directors.
The council also appointed Heeter to serve on the Zoning Hearing Board. Nomination of members to the Planning Commission and Vacancy Board were tabled for further discussion.
New Bethlehem Borough Council will continue to hold its monthly business meetings on the third Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. in the Kinetic (Windstream) building at 214 Lafayette Street. Work session meetings will be held on the second Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m., also in the Kinetic building.