Tuesday, May 7, 2013
With barricades going up on side streets at Main Street's north end in Hellertown, business owners, residents and officials are worried about the potential for long-term, major inconvenience.
Note: This story has been updated with additional information (Tuesday, May 7, 5 p.m.) Frustration over PennDOT's plan to barricade several side streets at the north end of Hellertown's Main Street was expressed at Monday's Borough Council meeting. The plan to barricade Hess, Roth, Kichline and Kiernan avenues at Main Street was announced as part of PennDOT's ongoing, $36 million Route 412 renewal project as early as March of last year. However, now that the barricades are about to go up, five business owners who will be affected by the restrictions on turning traffic are worried, council members said. Those five businesses—Top Star Exxon, Superior Auto, 412 Auto Tags, Vassi's Drive-In and the Chevy 21 used car center—are located on the …
40.59239
-75.34002
Hess Ave & Main St, Hellertown, PA
/articles/council-business-owners-upset-about-rt-412-restrictions
/locations/9362820
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
On Monday, Hellertown Borough Council gave engineer Rob Sarnowski permission to 'play hardball' with the company contracted to manufacture the new liner for the borough pool.
Although the company that's contracted to manufacture a new liner for the Hellertown Pool is dragging its feet, engineer Rob Sarnowski of Barry Isett and Associates told Hellertown Borough Council Monday the contract should protect the borough from any financial losses, if, in a worst case scenario, the pool's opening would be delayed. That scenario appears unlikely to occur, because Sarnowski was given permission by council to "play hardball" with the manufacturer in order to get the liner delivered to the borough within the next month. The pool is scheduled to open for its 2013 season on June 15. Sarnowski said the liner manufacturer recently told him it needs six to eight weeks to produce the liner, which would not allow enough time for…
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-75.33572
Dimmick Park
Tobias Dr & Durham St, Hellertown, PA
/articles/pool-liner-s-production-delayed-council-told
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/locations/9250827
40.57936
-75.33406
Hellertown Community Pool
Durham St & E Depot St, Hellertown, PA
/articles/pool-liner-s-production-delayed-council-told
2061015
/locations/9250828
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Thomas Rieger is seeking re-election to the Hellertown Borough Council.
Hellertown Borough councilman Thomas "Tom" Rieger has announced his campaign for re-election to his council seat. "For the last three years I have fought to control costs on behalf of the taxpayers of Hellertown," he said. Rieger is one of six candidates vying for four open seats this year. In a press release about his campaign, Rieger talked about his experience at promoting transparency in local government: "A key promise of my first campaign was to open up the Borough’s Government to its residents. Over the last three years I have built an interactive borough website so that residents can find important information and keep up to date with community events. This was done practically at no cost to the borough or its residents. Instead of…
40.57948
-75.34084
Borough of Hellertown
685 Main St, Hellertown, PA
/articles/borough-councilman-announces-re-election-bid-c1eb57c1
1785475
/locations/9141301
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Six candidates have filed petitions to appear as Hellertown Borough Council candidates on the May primary ballot. One Republican and five Democrats are vying for four open seats.
According to the Northampton County Election Office, six candidates have filed petitions to appear as primary election candidates for four open Hellertown Borough Council seats. All four incumbents are seeking reelection to four-year terms on council. In no particular order, the candidates are: Philip Weber (I) - Current council president Gail Nolf (I) Linda Leewright Thomas Rieger (I) James W. Hill Michael McKenna (I) The only candidate who won't appear on the primary ballot as a Democrat is Leewright, who filed as a Republican. The deadline to file a petition to appear on the ballot was March 12.
40.57948
-75.34084
Borough of Hellertown
685 Main St, Hellertown, PA
/articles/six-vying-for-four-borough-council-seats
1785475
/locations/9017898
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Hellertown Borough Council has approved support for the restoration of the Borough Authority Park fountain by volunteer and borough resident Joe Delfoe.
Just in time for its 50th anniversary in a couple of years, Hellertown's Borough Authority Park could be revived. Hellertown Borough Council unanimously approved on March 4 support for a park fountain restoration project first proposed by volunteer and borough resident Joe Delfoe last year. Delfoe, whose Hellertown Plaza Clock Tower Association oversees the maintenance and beautification of the fountain in Detwiller Plaza, said he wants the wedding cake-style fountain at the center of Borough Authority Park to once again be a centerpiece. In order to accomplish that, he said approximately seven large trees that currently encircle the fountain should be removed. The large trees obscure the fountain from view, and the leaves they drop are …
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-75.33656
Borough Authority Park
Durham St & Rentzheimer Dr, Hellertown, PA
/articles/council-likes-park-fountain-restoration-plan
2058834
/locations/9021137
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Hellertown Borough Council discussed last week a proposed plan to upgrade the popular borough recreation area.
Improvements to Hellertown's Water Street Park were part of a discussion had by Borough Council Feb. 19. The discussion followed a Feb. 12 Hellertown Planning Commission detailed review of the proposed plan to upgrade the popular recreation area, which is bordered by the Saucon Rail Trail. The park also hosts the seasonal Saucon Valley Farmers' Market, which from May through November attracts hundreds of visitors each Sunday. Creating additional space for the market's vendors and visitors--as well as room for future expansion--was part of the council discussion. Hellertown mayor and farmers' market volunteer Richard Fluck said the SVFM currently has 46 vendors, and he told the planning commission it is now the second biggest weekly farmers…
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-75.344475
Saucon Valley Farmers Market (Seasonal, May-November)
90 W Water St, Hellertown, PA
/articles/water-street-park-improvements-discussed
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/locations/8883270
40.579015
-75.344475
Water Street Park
90 W Water St, Hellertown, PA
/articles/water-street-park-improvements-discussed
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/locations/8883271
40.57948
-75.34084
Borough of Hellertown
685 Main St, Hellertown, PA
/articles/water-street-park-improvements-discussed
1785475
/locations/8883272
40.579015
-75.344475
Saucon Rail Trail
90 W Water St, Hellertown, PA
/articles/water-street-park-improvements-discussed
2058821
/locations/8883273
Saturday, February 23, 2013
On Feb. 19 Hellertown Borough Council approved a recommendation by Public Works Director Tom Henshaw that a two-hour parking zone be removed along Linden Avenue.
On Tuesday night, Hellertown Borough Council unanimously approved a motion that paves the way for the removal of a two-hour parking zone on Linden Avenue. Council approved the motion after borough Public Works Director Tom Henshaw reported that maintaining the currently restricted area "makes no sense at all." The restricted zone is in front of a private residence and where "the old Andy's Flower Shop was," Henshaw explained. Councilman Tom Rieger asked that Henshaw and public works employees take note of any other antiquated parking zones in the borough, so that they too may be considered for updating when council votes to formalize the Linden Avenue change with an amendment to its parking ordinance. At the meeting, Henshaw and the public…
40.57948
-75.34084
Borough of Hellertown
685 Main St, Hellertown, PA
/articles/2-hour-parking-to-be-removed-on-linden-avenue
1785475
/locations/8848713
Friday, January 25, 2013
Hellertown Police Department patrolman Matt Andree was sworn in as a corporal by Mayor Richard Fluck on Jan. 22.
Hellertown Police Department patrolman Matt Andree was unanimously promoted to the rank of corporal at Borough Council's Jan. 22 meeting. Andree was sworn in as corporal by Mayor Richard Fluck and received a bar signifying his new rank from Police Chief Robert Shupp. In addition to family members, several of Andree's colleagues were present for the brief ceremony, which was held at the start of the meeting.
40.57948
-75.34084
Borough of Hellertown
685 Main St, Hellertown, PA
/articles/borough-police-officer-promoted-to-corporal
1785475
/locations/8654963
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
On Jan. 7, Lee Weidner told Hellertown Borough Council he'd like it to investigate an unsightly and unsanitary problem--excessive dog poop on a section of the Saucon Rail Trail.
Although he spent hours cleaning it up before the holidays, large mounds of dog poop have reappeared along a section of the Saucon Rail Trail near West Walnut Street in Hellertown, resident and avid trail-user Lee Weidner told Borough Council Jan. 7. Weidner, who submitted a letter to the editor detailing the problem last month, called the canine feces "the worst kind of litter" and said he believes they're being deposited by a single animal. "It is a large dog, because of the remnants," he said. "In this particular case, size matters." Before Christmas, he estimated that he scooped about 40 pounds of "disgusting refuse" that were deposited over an area of about 800 square feet along the trail. Weidner also commented that the piles of poop…
40.57948
-75.34084
Borough of Hellertown
685 Main St, Hellertown, PA
/articles/dog-poop-still-a-problem-on-trail-resident-says
1785475
/locations/8585694
40.579015
-75.344475
Saucon Rail Trail
90 W Water St, Hellertown, PA
/articles/dog-poop-still-a-problem-on-trail-resident-says
2058821
/locations/8585693
Friday, December 21, 2012
The historic cemetery on Creek Road in Bethlehem contains the graves of early Heller settlers, after whom Hellertown was named.
A Hellertown Borough councilwoman said Dec. 3 that she is trying to recruit students from the Bethlehem Area Vocational-Technical School to help restore crumbling stone walls surrounding the Lime Kiln Burial Ground on Creek Road as an educational project. The small cemetery is historically significant because it contains the graves of Heller settlers, after whom the borough is named. Although it is in Bethlehem, the burial ground is owned and maintained by the borough. Nolf, who is an educator in the Bethlehem Area School District, told council the work that needs to be performed is "a doable project" for the high school students. She has initiated discussions at the Vo-Tech and will continue to update council on her efforts, she said.
Jane D
4:03 pm on Sunday, May 12, 2013
I don't understand why the barricades can’t be moved down to accommodate the business entrances. I wanted to stop at Vassi’s and couldn't figure out how to get there. more ›