Interpretive Signs Installed at Hellertown Marsh

The new educational signage is located along the Saucon Rail Trail in the borough of Hellertown.

The following press release about the new signs is from the Borough of Hellertown: A series of five signs interpreting the Hellertown Marsh have been installed on the Saucon Rail Trail between Walnut and Water streets in Hellertown. Funded by a grant from a local environmental foundation and researched and designed by borough resident Dennis Scholl, the signs describe the five-acre marsh and the ecological system that has developed in and around it. The marsh is an important wetland habitat that supports a unique collection of plants and wildlife and also purifies underground and storm water that flows through it. Scholl submitted the grant proposal through the Saucon Creek Chapter of Trout Unlimited, which has since disbanded. The signs …

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Borough Council Leadership Remains Unchanged

On Jan. 3, Philip Weber and John Bate were re-elected president and vice president, respectively, of Hellertown Borough Council. A new council member, Joseph Pampanin, was also sworn in at the meeting.

As anticipated, Hellertown Borough Council members stayed the course Jan. 3, with their unanimous re-election of Philip Weber as council president and re-election of John Bate as council vice president. The votes were taken at council's annual reorganization meeting, at which several council members elected in November--including new member Joseph Pampanin--were sworn into office by District Judge David Tidd. The current members of Hellertown Borough Council--in addition to Weber, Bate and Pampanin--are Richard Staffieri, Mike McKenna, Thomas Rieger and Gail Nolf. All are Democrats. Hellertown mayor Richard Fluck presided over the reorganization meeting until Weber's re-election as president, at which time the meeting gavel was …

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Profiles in Volunteerism

Profiles in Volunteerism: Firefighter Phil Weber

Phil Weber is a volunteer firefighter with Dewey Fire Company No. 1 in Hellertown.

Name: Phil Weber Age: 49 Lives in: Hellertown Family: Wife, 5 children Job: Quality Control Manager for a Precast Company, Hellertown Borough Council President, Dewey Fire Company Driver/Interior Firefighter Fire company: Dewey Fire Company No. 1 Training so far: Interior Firefighting, Pumps, Driving What's being a firefighter like? “I like it. It’s fun and it’s serious.” How do your loved ones feel about you putting your life in danger? “They’re OK with it. I don’t think they’re really thrilled when I run out of the house, but they’re OK with it.” Tell us a story you'll never forget about your firefighting experience. “I’ll tell you how I got roped into this! (Fire Chief) Rick (Delmore) would come in to the council meetings and say he …

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Hurricane Irene

Council President: Irene 'Could Have Been a Lot Worse'

Hellertown Borough Council President and Dewey Fire Company volunteer Phil Weber said Hurricane Irene packed a powerful punch, but the damage inflicted could have been much more severe.

Although a particularly vulnerable block of downtown Hellertown's business district was figuratively smacked by Hurricane Irene, the damage inflicted by the storm "could have been a lot worse," Borough Council President Philip Weber said Sunday afternoon. Weber, who was assisting other Dewey Fire Company volunteers with clean-up efforts in the 600 block of Main Street, pointed to businesses in that block that were briefly inundated when the Silver Creek--which passes underneath Main Street on its way to the Saucon Creek--turned into a raging torrent overnight. Among the businesses affected by flood waters were Saucon Valley Dance Conservatory, Revere Flooring, Klassic Gold, and the newly-opened Erica's Cafe at 637 Main Street. The building…

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