Resolutions, ordinance discussed by New Bethlehem leaders | News

NEW BETHLEHEM – Resolutions dealing with audio recordings of borough council meetings and sign permits, as well as an ordinance focused on catering and event venues, were discussed at Tuesday’s meeting of New Bethlehem Borough Council.

With no official policy on the books for how long the borough keeps the secretary’s audio recording of council meetings, officials looked at their options at the April 21 meeting.

Borough solicitor Andrew Menchyk said that some municipalities dispose of their audio recordings once meeting minutes are officially approved, usually at the next meeting. Others, he said, dispose of them once the secretary drafts the meeting minutes, and others keep them for set periods of time.

After debating options that included never deleting the recordings, the council approved a resolution that would hold the recordings for 60 days following the approval of the official meeting minutes.

The council was also presented with a resolution to set a permit fee for any business seeking to place a new sign on their property, and to develop the application for the sign permitting process.

Menchyk said the borough adopted a new sign ordinance last year, and that there was still a need to establish the fee and application to go along with that legislation.

After debating the sign ordinance itself, council members said they needed more time to look at the actual ordinance before making a decision. The matter was tabled until the May meeting.

The council also took no action Tuesday night on a proposed zoning-related ordnance that would center around catering event venues within the community.

Menchyk said that the former borough council last year asked for an ordinance to be prepared that would establish where catering event venues can be located in the zoned community. He recommended that the council’s ordinance committee further review the proposed ordinance before advertising it for adoption.

Councilman Ed Goth said he was not in favor of opening up the entire community to event venues, noting that neighbors to those properties would be impacted.

Currently, Menchyk said, there is nothing in the borough’s zoning ordinance that specially addresses event venues. He also said that while the council can set conditional uses for properties in residential zones, the council could also completely prohibit such venues in those districts.

He said that if the council moves forward with the zoning change, a public hearing will be required before the ordinance can be adopted.

Goth said he was concerned about allowing conditional uses outside of the borough’s commercial zones.

Council president Scott Barrett asked members to forward any concerns to the ordinance committee to review, and asked that a recommendation be brought back to the full council at its next meeting.

In other business at Tuesday’s meeting, the council gave its backing to a Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST) loan packed for the Redbank Valley Municipal Authority related to an upcoming water line replacement project.

Under the terms, if the RVMA would default on its loan repayment, New Bethlehem Borough would be on the hook for 56 percent of the project cost. Fellow authority members South Bethlehem Borough and Porter Township would assume the remainder of the debt, with 25 percent and 19 percent respectively.

Other Business

• Lisa Goth of the Charles Leach Agency asked the council for confirmation that the New Bethlehem business can use the borough’s Gumtown Park for a 90th anniversary event on Aug. 8. She said that the company wants to make plans for the day, but has not received formal approval of the park use.

Mayor Gordon Barrows said that the council is still working to establish a new park committee that will set up the official terms for use of the park. In the meantime, the council approved use of the park by the Leach Agency for that date.

• No action was taken on a request from Broadwood Towers residents to allow overnight parking along Broad Street during non-winter months.

• At the urging of the local association of boroughs, New Bethlehem’s council lent its support for Pennsylvania House Bill 985, that would establish a funding program to “assist municipalities that experience reduced property taxes due to the presence of tax-exempt properties.”

Council member Shannon Johnson explained that under the proposed bill, New Bethlehem Borough could receive anywhere from $94,000 to $188,000 per year to assist with the community’s costs.

• The council addressed a letter from Frampton Contracting of Strattanville, which is working with University Korner Holdings to move forward with the demolition of several buildings on the 200 block of Broad Street, followed by the construction of a new University Korner convenience store and gas station on the property.

The letter notes that plans are to demolish and cleanup the site this summer, with construction in the summer of 2027. It also raises concerns about possible damage to the sidewalks on the property during the demolition phase.

Although council took no action on the letter, members raised concerns about the sidewalk possibly being closed for an extended period of time, especially if construction plans for next year are further delayed. Members were set to discuss the matter for legal and liability concerns in an executive session at the end of the meeting.

• Tom Thompson of the borough’s engineering firm told the council that the Penn Street bridge replacement project is ready to begin this summer, with officials awaiting a schedule from the manufacturer of the pre-cast bridge structure. He said it is anticipated the work will be done in July and August of this year.