Township Presents Two Gaming Grant Applications

The Northampton County Gaming Revenue and Economic Redevelopment Authority listened to and asked questions about Lower Saucon Township’s 2011 restricted gaming grant applications at their Aug. 22 meeting in Easton.

Lower Saucon Township Finance Director Cathy Gorman thanked the authority for the opportunity to present the township's two applications, and introduced Lower Saucon Police Chief Guy Lesser at the meeting.

Lesser explained the first application, which is for funding to retain a police officer and purchase a new police SUV.

“There has been a noticeable increase in each area of police activity” since the opening of the Sands casino in nearby Bethlehem, Lesser told members of the authority.

Like Hellertown, Lower Saucon used previous gaming grants to fund the hiring of an additional police officer. Lower Saucon is again asking for a grant to pay for this full-time officer’s salary and benefits.

Lesser said the officer has been “a significant benefit” to the police force.

Gaming authority member Thomas Nolan asked Lesser what would happen if the grant were not awarded. Lesser said he does not want to decrease the size of the police force, but the decision would be up to Lower Saucon Township Council.

Nolan also suggested to Lesser that next time grant applications are prepared, Lower Saucon have isolated grants--meaning that they should apply for the police officer’s salary and SUV grants individually.

The other application Lower Saucon presented was for an ATV and trailer that would be used to respond to fires and emergency rescues in wooded areas and along steep slopes. The main area in which Lower Saucon Township emergency responders would use the ATV would be along the , which could be hard to negotiate in a typical rescue vehicle.

Again, Nolan had concerns about the application.

“I don’t think people will use the trail to get to the casino,” he said. “It’s a reach. That’s all.”

In addition to the two grants Lower Saucon submitted, a member of Dewey Ambulance spoke briefly about the grant Lower Saucon and Hellertown applied for jointly, which would fund EMA jackets and rescue helmets, a LIFEPAK defibrillator monitor and a new ambulance chassis (the passenger compartment of an ambulance will be put on a new frame).

At the same meeting, before the gaming authority.