Memorial Hall to Fall?

The Express-Times reports on a meeting in Stockertown that debated the future of Memorial Hall, which the Borough bought in 2006, but now needs repairs that far exceed the cost to demolish it (read the article here).

Stockertown and Tatamy Bridge Project

For the second time in recent weeks, the Steaming Cup of Joe on The Express-Times' web site, has highlighted a road issue in the Nazareth Area. First it was Prologis Parkway off route 248, now it is the rebuilding of the bridge connecting Stockertown and Tatamy (read the post here).

His point is well-taken, with all the talk of stimulus cash flowing into road projects, why isn't this one on the list - the bridge has been out for years.

According to his post it is mostly due to local officials who would prefer one less access through and thereby less traffic, regardless of the inconvenience to others.

In a sense this is a not in my backyard issue, on the other hand, is the lack of a bridge really that big a problem or would funding a new bridge be a waste of money (not that money won't be wasted in the millions in the name of stimulus)?

What do you think - should the bridge be rebuilt?

84 Lumber in Stockertown is Closing

According to this in the Express Times, 84 Lumber in Stockertown is closing after nearly 33 years in business.

While Spokesman Jeff Nobers stated that "the buildings materials supplier typically depends more on contractors for its business than walk-in customers", I personally finished my basement three or four years ago, and purchased alot of supplies from 84 lumber. It was pretty close to my house, and when you strap six or so sheets of drywall to the top of your old Chevy Blazer, you don't want to have to drive very far (or fast).

Model Train Display

One of my favorite holiday traditions is setting up the model train.

If you want to see a really good train display, check out the Nazareth Area Society of Model Engineers Holiday Display.

Information from the Morning Call on the Display is here (read the full list of holiday events here):


Nazareth Area Society of Model Engineers Holiday Train Shows: Four operating layouts: Lionel, S, HO and N scale trains. Tickets: $4; $1, age 11 and younger. Sat.-Sun., 1-5 p.m.; Mon., Fri., 7-9 p.m. Through Dec. 7. Nazareth Area Society of Model Engineers, 212 Main St., Stockertown. 610-252-8082.

Bushkill Creek Dry to Flowing

The rains filled the Bushkill Creek after it went dry killing many fish according to articles in the Express-Times (read them here and here).

DEP will investigate, but it appears that Hercules Cement turned off its electric pumps for maintenance and diesel replacements were not as strong resulting in dry beds.

Wrestling & Cheerleading Sign-Ups

NAZARETH MIDGET WRESTLING (GRADES K-6) & CHEERLEADING (GRADES 1-7) SIGNUPS

REGISTRATION FOR ALL CHILDREN LIVING IN OR ATTENDING NAZARETH AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT OR HOLY FAMILY

NAZARETH BLUE & WHITE

INTRAMURAL PROGRAM: FOR YOUNGER and INEXPERIENCED WRESTLERS

MONDAY, SEPT. 22nd & TUESDAY, SEPT. 23rd, 2008 FROM 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM AT NAZARETH BOROUGH HALL (CHURCH & E. CENTER STREET)

FEE: $50.00 FOR 1ST WRESTLER/CHEERLEADER, $80.00 FOR TWO, and $100.00 PER FAMILY

FUND RAISER: $10.00 PER PARTICIPANT AT SIGN-UPS FOR RAFFLE TICKETS

For more information call:

• Matt Seifert – President – 610-759-8321
• Tim Sutter – Vice President – 610-759-5890
• Brian Stout – Asst. Vice President – 610-297-8214
• Dan Beers – Treasurer – 610-759-8301
• Brenda Zemenack – Secretary – 610-614-1114
• Laurie Morgan-Cheerleading Coordinator – 610-365-2883

Stockertown in the News

Stockertown is again in the news, twice this time.

First, the Morning Call has an article on the Borough's recently approved ordinance to ban parking in a block on Main Street that resulted in the residents contacting the media and walking them through the impact to them (read the article here).

The other was in the Express-Times regarding a property owned by Northampton County Councilwoman Peg Ferraro. Apparently the borough deemed it an eyesore and asked her to clean it up, when contacted she said it was done (read the article here).

Stockertown Couple Allegedly Bilk NJ Non-Profit

The Express-Times' Lehigh Valley Live has an article from the Star Ledger (read it here) reporting that a Stockertown couple have, "pleaded not guilty Tuesday in New Jersey Superior Court in Flemington to charges of stealing more than $50,000 from the agency."

Hillary Garzillo, 37, former chief financial officer of Work Family Connection, and Erik Marquardt, 24, her husband were charged with the following according to the article:

Garzillo is charged with third-degree theft by deception; Marquardt is charged with two fourth-degree counts of giving false statements to obtain unemployment benefits.

A superseding indictment handed up last week charged Garzillo with second-degree theft by deception and four additional third-degree theft by deception charges.

Clicking on Cob Webs? Not here.

The Morning Call has a story on Municipal Web sites and specifically mentions Lower Nazareth Township's lack of information or highly outdated information and quotes Joe Greene, who created a public site for Lower Nazareth with current information as a result (read the article here).

It got me thinking about the state of our local municipalities sites. To date, as best I can tell, Tatamy and Stockertown have no municipal site, however, Chris Moren of Tatamy started a blog on municipal affairs in March and has made postings since then to keep residents updated (visit his site here).

Lower Nazareth: As noted in the article Joe Greene has a site and he also has a blog where residents can comment on issues (visit the site here). The municipal site (available here) is close to worthless in terms of information. They do list when meetings are held (first Monday, etc), but the events calendar is from 2005. They have a list of parks, but not linked to maps to show where they are. The township officials page which is a phone and email list is the most informative page on the site. Citizens who wish to be informed should be thankful for Joe's site.

Bushkill: The home page (visit the site here) has a holiday calendar from 2006 and key news from summer of 2007. The list of officials only has names, no phone or email and the contact us page is a form you fill out and submit. There is some general zoning information, but it is reasonably generic. A phone list page has very generic information. Similar to Lower Nazareth, Bushkill's site is virtually worthless.

Nazareth: Nazareth re-launched its web site last year and so far has done a good job of keeping it updated (visit the site here). They include the most recent agenda and minutes from Council meetings and on the home page is a list of calendar items from a variety of groups and organizations. I do hope they will take the next step as Upper Nazareth has done and begin to include information on zoning, permits, utilities and information that people need to know. All-in-all much better than the other sites viewed so far.

Upper Nazareth: Launched last year, I made a post at the time for reader feedback. While some thought the design and layout was 'old HTML' and not very current, the township surprised me with the value of its content (visit the site here). For instance, the New Residents page has information (detailed) on permits, ordinances, filing complaints, voting, drivers license, tax information, utilities and more. Planning Commission and Zoning have their own pages with information - outside the supervisor meetings, these are often the most important ones. While the budget for 2008 has been posted, I noticed the Agenda page is for 2007. Hopefully they will keep the site updated as it is the best of those in the NASD region.

So that is a round up of the municipal sites. In Nazareth constant questions about the site by residents eventually led to the redesign. Today's technologies make it so easy for multiple people to post content without having any html experience or knowledge that it shouldn't be difficult for our local government bodies to create places for residents to get the information they need to know now.

Would like to know what you think of these sites and most importantly what information should they have that they don't currently? What is most important for residents?

Teen Gone Wild

The Morning Call reports a Palmer teen, with a Stockertown accomplice, has been convicted and sentenced for numerous crimes that could have landed him with a 48 year jail sentence in state prison (read the article here).

The sentence given was 11-22 months in jail and five years probation.

I intended to write about this yesterday, but ran out of time, which is unfortunate because the earlier version of this story (I couldn't find it online today) had a quote from his mother stating he was a good kid and from the teen stating he "deserved" a second chance.

Let's recap what he's been convicted of:

• "Jones, who last month pleaded guilty to criminal mischief, conspiracy, receiving stolen property, terroristic threats, trespass and retail theft,"
• "On Aug. 4, they shot out home windows and vehicle windows in Palmer Township, causing $19,249 in damage. ''I thought it was funny, at first,'' Jones said."
• "On Aug. 10, the pair went to the home of Craig Kelemen at 732 Jacktown Road in Washington Township. Jones was carrying a knife and threatened Kelemen."

This individual could have served 48 years in state prison for the crimes he committed as an 18 year old.

I was stunned to read that this individual felt he 'deserved' a second chance. I can almost understand the parent viewing him as a good kid, but this wasn't a 'mistake' it was a sequence of mistakes that got bigger and bigger. It was arrogance coupled with a lack of being responsible for ones actions.

He was ordered to repay damages, but what about all the other costs? Every person whose property was damaged or stolen had to take their time to address the matter. Everyone had to inform (or should have) notified their insurance company. Hours of labor time were invested as a result, not to mention the labor or replacing and repairing the stolen and damaged property.

So how is it an 18 year old can get to this place? How could he feel he deserves any break at this point (and he got a huge one)?

Grucela to Seek 6th Term?

The Morning Call reports (read it here) that State Rep. Rich Grucela is expected to announce he will run for a sixth term tonight.

Christmas Services

The Morning Call has a list of Christmas services (view full list here) and I've included those area ones here. Unfortunately it is a rather incomplete listing. Please add your churches services in comments for others to see.

• Bushkill United Methodist Church, 1330 Church Road, Wind Gap, 6 p.m. candlelight service Monday. 610-837-0935.
• Ebenezer Bible Fellowship Church, 3100 Hecktown Road, Bethlehem Township, candlelight services at 5 and 7 p.m. Monday. 610-868-5501.
• Nazareth Moravian Church, 4 S. Main St., Nazareth, 5 and 8 p.m. Monday candlelight services. 610-759-3163.

Youth Set Fire in Stockertown?

The Morning Call reports on a fire in Stockertown that displaced four families on Bushkill Street (read the article here).

The Forks Township Fire Marshall who responded to the call noted the fire appeared to be intentionally set and several residents noted they saw youths in the vicinity of where the fire started and that other fires had been set nearby in dumpsters. A Stockertown officer confirmed that residents were providing the names of youths they believed were involved in the fire.

If you have information or witnessed suspicious activity related to this fire, contact the Stockertown police department.

Election 2007 Results

We voted early yesterday so had little wait at St. John's Lutheran. I did hear that Upper Nazareth was rather crowded after 6:00 p.m. Of course this was nothing compared to what you can expect next year with a Presidential election.

So here are the contested results (from the Morning Call and WFMZ Channel 69) and articles on the results (sorry if I missed any):

• Nazareth Borough Council 3rd Ward - Charles Donello defeated Fred Daugherty (Express-Times article) 174-125
  
• Stockertown Borough Council 4 year - Susan Sklodowsky (R), Amy Richard (R), Jack Gatzinger (R), Cynthia Hower (D) were elected over Eric Wenzelberger (D) and Paul Zaboy (D) 93-92-90-83-76-72
• Stockertown Borough Council 2 year - Jason Martin (R) defeated Eric Wenzelberger (D) 90-70
• Tatamy Borough Council - Stuart Albert (R), William Belkey (D), Christopher Moren (R), and William Keifer Jr (D) were elected over Robert Lund (R) and Nathan Power (R)
  103-101-100-84-77-76
  
• Bushkill Township Supervisor - Howard Kostenbader (D/R) and Jason Smith (R) were elected over Paul Klotz, III (D) 884-714-355
• Upper Nazareth Townshiop Supervisor - Joe Emrick (R) and Michael Rinker (R) were elected over Eugene Kresge (D) and Jacob Groff Jr. (D) 481-438-300-281
  
• District Justice - John Capobianco (R) defeated Yvonne Falcone (D) (Express-Times article) 1,861 to 1,225.
• Nazareth School Board Region 1 - Ken Butz (D/R) and Lorin Bradley (R) were elected over Chad Cornell (D) (Express-Times article) 884-671-398.
  
• County Council At-Large - Peg Ferraro (R) defeated Tony Branco (D) 18,094 to 14,789
• County Controller - Stephen Barron Jr (D) defeated John Schimmel (R) 16,145 - 15,599
• County Council District 3 - Lamont McClure Jr (D) defeated Mark Schwartz (R) 3,985 - 3,897
  
• County Council District 4 - Ron Angle (R) defeated John Maher (D) 5,419 - 4,210
  

Nazareth Area Society of Model Engineers

The Nazareth Area Society of Model Engineers is having its 2007 open house shows over several dates in November and December (view dates). The organization asks for a donation of $3 per adult and $1 for children 12 & Under.

The shows are held in Stockertown at 212 Main Street across from borough hall and just north of Cozmo's Restaurant.

You can visit their web site here.

Archaeological Dig Underway

JD Malone of the Express-Times reports that the archaeological dig on the grounds of the proposed 7th & 8th grade building is now being conducted (read the article here).

The dig and study process are both outlined in the article. It is again noted that the cost to the NASD is about $100,000 and that this will not delay the project, although a Phase III follow-up could.

A note late in the article was of interest: " So far the dig has turned up a couple of dozen arrowheads and 10 to 20 pounds of other items, Lynch said. The items are photographed, catalogued and sent to Harrisburg for storage. The district can opt to store the stone tools and arrowheads but the state charges a fee to do so."

Wouldn't this be an ideal learning opportunity for students? Why not take these items, have reports and histories of the Indians who made them created, and display them in the lobby of the new building along with maps of where they were found and markers of the same in the to be created retention pond?

This would be first-hand history. Instead the state confiscates what is found on the school's property and charges a fee if the items aren't kept in the state's custody. Something doesn't seem right about this arrangement/process.

MS Building Needs Phase 3 Archaeological Study

Unfortunately Brad Moulton could not be at last night's School Board meeting, but JD Malone does report in the Express-Times that the new MS building will be delayed and increased costs will be incurred as a result of a requirement to conduct a Phase 3 Archaeological Study.

According to the article the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission noted that some artifacts from previous studies point to early man's use of the land adjacent to the Schoeneck Creek and therefore further study is required before construction can begin.

The Phase III study will cover about 1,000 square feet of the 25-acre site and consists of digging holes, sifting through the dirt and analyzing anything of interest.

This study could cost up to $113,500 and will delay the project several weeks. Now bids will be distributed July 18 and returned by August 16.

School Board Meeting Tonight (Maybe)

The last attempt at a School Board meeting was canceled due to a lack of quorum. We'll see if tonight will gather enough members to have one at 7:30 p.m. at the Admin Board Room.

The agenda was very similar to the last one (overview of highlights here) and the only real addition I noticed was correspondence from Rep. Grucella requesting a meeting between Stockertown, the NASD, the County, and the Library System. The letter was submitted as a result of Stockertown's refusal to support the public library, which in turn results in residents not being eligible for an Access PA library privileges.

While this is only a discussion, what I would not like to see happen is some arrangement that results in other bodies paying Stockertown's fees (or a portion thereof) that are supported by tax dollars of those of us who are already paying for our own library service. For instance, having the NASD pay a portion would be unfair to those in other municipalities whose taxes already support the library and now they'd be paying for someone else who simply doesn't feel like paying. The result would be incentivizing everyone to drop out of the system and let someone else foot the bill.

Former MS Coach Guilty of Hitting Opposing Player

The Expres-Times reports that the former MS Lacrosse Coach at Nazareth plead guilty to charges he struck a Moravian Academy player with an open hand after a game as the teams were lining up to shake hands (read the article hear).

According to the article, "Francis W. Kelly Jr., 47, of the 400 block of Main Street in Stockertown pleaded guilty to harassment on May 17 and paid a $100 fine plus $121 in court costs, according to court records."

As a matter of personnel the NASD had no comment, but did note that Kelly is no longer employed by the NASD.

The victim was 13 years old and according to the boy's father did go to the hospital afterward and had some bruising as a result of the hit.

Tatamy - Stockertown Bridge is No More

PADOT crews eliminated the remains of the bridge connecting Tatamy and Stockertown that had been out for some time following sinkhole damage (read the Morning Call or Express-Times article).

According to the article it has been damaged for seven years and there are no plans to replace it with a new one. For vehicle traffic, it obviously reduces the number passing through the boroughs, but for pedestrians it leaves them with a long walk or one along the railroad tracks (the bridge had been open to pedestrians and bikes but not vehicles).