Bushkill Township Supervisors Meeting

The Morning Call today reports (read the full article here) that Bushkill Township has presented its 2007 budget and there will be no tax increase.

In addition to the proposed budget there were two important items noted:

• Bushkill Township became the first of the eight communities Thursday night to approve an inter-municipal agreement to implement and conform to the regional plan objectives.
• The township's allocation [to the Library] is being budgeted at $100,005, an increase of 6.7 percent.

There was no mention of an agreement being ready to be voted on at the Nazareth Borough Workshop on Thursday related to COG.

If you attended the meeting and have additional information to share, email me (I'll keep your name anonymous unless asked to do otherwise) or post a comment. Thanks!

Pool Advocates Change Tactics

If you saw this weeks US newspaper, the individual/group (it is not known which because there is no declaration or attribution on the advertisement) advocating the addition of a swimming pool to the School District's building project has changed its approach.

Last week there were bullet items that insinuated agreements and understandings had been made related to use of the facility by outside individuals, organizations, and groups. I emailed this group with questions related to these points but received no answer.

This week the advertisement lists the benefits of swimming. It is hard to argue with the health benefits of swimming, but Nazareth now has the outdoor pool at the Borough Park and the indoor pool at the Nazareth YMCA, not to mention countless privately owned pools. Given the already high costs of the projected buildings coupled with the recently disclosed Act 1 challenges the District will face, it seems an addition that is not critical to education and has alternatives available would be hard to justify.

What do you think? Is the pool needed, or would it simply be nice to have if money were no object?

Commission and Board Members Needed

Borough Secretary/Treasurer Paul Kokolus noted at last night's meeting that the Borough is in need of applicants to serve on seven Boards, Commissions, and Authorities (only a total of two letters of interest have been received to date).

If you have an interest and want to help better your community - please apply for the following by sending a letter with qualifications to Borough Secretary/Treasurer Paul Kokolus, 30 Belvidere Street, Nazareth, PA 18064, no later than 4:00 p.m. Monday, November 20, 2006:

• Planning Commission - 1 person - 4 year term
• Recreation Commission - 1 person - 5 year term
• Zoning Hearing Board - 1 person - 3 year term
• Municipal Authority - 1 person - 5 year term
• Shade Tree Commission - 1 person - 5 year term
• Library Board - 1 person - 3 year term
• Vacancy Board - 1 person - 1 year term.
  

Nazareth Borough Council Workshop 11-2-06

The Nazareth Borough Council Workshop for November began at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 2, 2006 in Council Chambers (Church and Center Streets).

There was one bid received and opened at that time for the Gateway Project (a Shade Tree Commission Project) by Daniels Landscape. There was later (near the end of the meeting) a conversation related to the proper advertising of the project. Engineer Don Keller stated that the Borough had never advertised the project so he didn't know how the bid could have been received. There was also a question due to the amount of the bid in regard to the project projected cost and announcement/bidding requirements related to it.

There were 7 residents in attendance in addition to the Council, all of whom where there except for John Samus. And there were no representatives from the daily newspapers.

Public Comment included the following:

• Question regarding the status of the Borough web site. Mayor Keller stated that a teacher at the school said they had students who can set it up and manage it from their classroom. When asked about payment it was noted it would be a part of the curriculum. The Mayor also stated his first concern was having it available as a mass warning system.
• A question was asked in regard to the status of the new borough building. Council President Dan Chiavarolli stated there have been meetings once a week. The title change is expected before the end of the year. The bank would like 90 days to stay and transition out. Given this the expected move-in date is April of 2007.
• A comment was made regarding the fact that many people do not stop at stop signs and speeding is prevalent in the borough. Specifically noted that watched six cars roll through the stop sign on Franklin at Prospect Street. This comment got everyone talking including most of Council and those in attendance. It was additionally mentioned that Franklin is used as a shortcut. The North and Green Street intersection and Center and New Street intersections were also mentioned as particularly challenging for pedestrians as drivers simply don't stop. The addition of signs on the Circle and newly painted lines by Shafer were mentioned by myself as positive steps and a request was made to repaint and paint where none currently exist cross walks throughout the borough. Larry Stoudt and Chief Ruch stated they would drive through town and take note of possible improvements that can be made in regard to either enforcement or lines.
• A question regarding whether the borough had an ordinance for curbing pets was asked. The issue as nearly all agreed was that to enforce it you have to catch the person and that is the hardest part.
• It was noted that the Shade Tree Commission's fall planting was completed. On south Main Street nine trees were planted with help from the highway crew. There were also four or five replacements of trees that simply didn't take. A question from Councilman Herbst was in regard to who was responsible for the replacement and a follow-up of when did the tree become the property owners responsibility. It was stated that the Commission replaced them because they didn't take, but the ownership was a bit of a gray area. Mayor Keller asked if a tree could be looked at that was in bad shape near Phoenix and West Prospect.

That ended the public comment period. From an observational perspective, it was a return to normalcy following the contentious sessions of the summer. The period, as well as the meeting itself, was reminiscent of a New England town hall meeting. It was respectful, but conversational, and a nice return to how government ought to be.

The workshop opened with the police report made by Councilman Stoudt. He noted there was a check with PADOT on a stop sign placement and the ability to paint 'stop ahead' on roads. There were two requests for parties that were each declined because they included a band and there was a high probability of noise complaints. The school had requested a parade on Saturday, November 11, 2006 at 10:00 a.m. following the same route as the Halloween Parade for Veterans Day.

Public Property Committee reviewed a list of sites to review including the band shell. There was also a request for use of the basketball courts at the Borough Park.

Law Committee noted several motions would be made on Monday including:

• motion to advertise vacating meadow lane (?)
• motion to appoint Gary Asteak special counsel
• resolution for acquisition of the Main Street property
• resolution for eminent domain of 128 South Main Street.
• ordinance to delete the loading/unloading zone where the upholstery store had been on Belvidere Street.
• motion for a knox box (sp?) ordinance (essentially provides access to fire and police of security alarms).

Recreation Committee reviewed the year's programs at the Park.

Finance Committee will have a motion to accept the preliminary 2007 Budget, which has no tax increase. There will also be a motion to advertise the 2007 Budget to be on display for 10 days.

Fire Committee reported that a list of all extinguishers will be provided along with indications of which ones need to be replaced. It was also noted that the parade was very successful and over 400 students from Shafer and Holy Family visited the fire company during Fire Prevention Week. The Fire Chief was informed by the County 911 Center that they will not continue to provide overlay past January 2008, which means the Fire Company will need to replace its radios.

Ecology Committee noted that they were not where they want to be with recycling at this point, but were close. A conversation ensued regarding the collection yard. The workers (paid $8 per hour) were doing a very good job, were very helpful, and have kept it very clean. However, it has been costly. The Committee is watching the cost and will discuss how to best manage cost vs. service in the future.

Noted that a transmission on a tractor went and a new one will be needed. It was discussed and with money in the 2006 budget the best approach would seem to be to purchase a new tractor. A motion will be made and estimated cost is $9000.

Also look into sealing on roads in the coming weeks and noted that leaf collection was now taking place throughout the borough.

Secretary Paul Kokolous had several comments/notes including:

• Needs articles for the upcoming newsletter
• Sent a letter thanking all the candidates for the vacant Council seat.
• There was a disappointing response to the Commissions announcement with only one person applying for the Library and one for the Municipal Authority Commission.
• A grant will be filed for $10,000.
• The insurance has not changed and borough is still using the same rates with same coverage, so its not a bad thing.
• Will be sending all Councilmembers the COG (Council of Government) minutes until a rep is selected. One Councilperson noted they'd like to continue to receive them, to which it was noted that the COG has a new secretary who began providing minutes and they will continue to send them electronically.
• No tax hike in the budget, the meeting went very well, and there is something in the budget for everyone.

Council President Chiavarolli noted that he attended COG meeting and the discussion was focused on emergency management, composting, and fire department assistance for smaller companies that are struggling to get volunteers.

The Mayor noted that the mass warning system specs have been received and will go to public property committee.

The Police Chief noted that given the move in date of the new building, they are going to need to do something with the roof at the existing 30 Belvidere facility. The roof leaks and its into the office and on the copier. The response was to get it fixed.

The meeting closed with the announcement that there will be three executive sessions, two for Law Committee and one for Council President.

Bloomberg News quotes Martin Guitar executives

In a report today in Bloomberg, "Slaves in Amazon Forced to Make Materials Used by GM (Update1)" By Michael Smith and David Voreacos (read the article here) Martin Guitar executives Christian Martin and Dick Boak are quoted in regard to the Peruvian Mahogony the company imports.

The lengthy article includes the following:

The government has revoked the right to log from 28 groups after discovering they were selling hardwood that was felled illegally. ``There is a lot of rain forest to watch over,'' says Carlos Chamochumbi, president of the Peruvian government's Multi- Sector Commission to Fight Against Illegal Logging. ``There is a lot of corruption.'' He says slaves are used in illegal logging operations.

Nearly all of the 70,000 guitars that Nazareth, Pennsylvania-based C.F. Martin sells annually contain Peruvian mahogany, CEO Christian Martin says.

And continues:

Martin says he will still use the wood because his main importer, T. Baird McIlvain International Co., says it's legally harvested. Dick Boak, a Martin spokesman, says the company will work to clean up its supply chain.

``We want to do the right thing,'' he says. ``It's our desire to participate in any way we can to clean this up.''

I've previously read about illegal logging in the rain forest and Martin's vigilance in purchasing only from legal sources despite the increasing difficulty in acquiring the woods needed to make these elite instruments, but hadn't heard about slave labor in South America. It seems most of this type of article in the past were focused on 'sweatshops' in Asia and indo-china.

Martin's response was appropriate and made saintly by the individual from a flooring company in King of Prussia, PA, immediately quoted after them in the article who said, " ``I've never seen it in Latin America in my entire life,'' Reitz, 33, says. ``To be honest, I don't think that slavery exists in Latin America.''

I don't know about you, but I don't think Mr. Reitz and his 33 years of life-experience have much of a future in PR, or at his company for that matter.

Lower Nazareth Township Tax Decrease

According to the Morning Call (read the article here) and the Express-Times (read the article here) supervisors in Lower Nazareth Township will be voting to return the tax rate to the 2005 level in 2007. A 25% hike was made in 2006 to produce revenue to start-up a trash collection program. The hike resulted in $274,000 that is now in the general fund, but the collection program was not started. As a result the Supervisors are returning to the previous tax rate level as they move forward with the plan. If they do not implement a plan the money can be reallocated.

Next Tuesday's Election

If you haven't noticed the barrage of advertisements on TV, radio, and direct mail coming to your home, there is an election on Tuesday, November 7, 2006 and polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m.

Polling Places for Nazareth area residents are as follows:

• Bushkill
• Center District - Bushkill Elementary
• Cherryhill District - Bushkill Elementary
• Clearfield District - Municipal Building
  
• Lower Nazareth
• District 1 - Dryland UCC
• District 2 - Township Building
  
• Nazareth
• 1st Ward - Council Chambers (Church & Center)
• 2nd Ward - St. John's UCC
• 3rd Ward - St. John's Lutheran
  
• Stockertown - Municipal Building
  
• Tatamy - Municipal Building
  
• Upper Nazareth
  
• East District - Municipal Building
• West District - Thoder Building at Gracedale

A list of all Northampton County Polling Places is available here.
If you want to check which district or ward you vote in, click here.
If you need any additional information visit the county voter registration office.

In addition to the races for US Senate and House of Representatives and the state of PA 's Governor, Senate, and State Representative. There is one ballot question for voters as well regarding the Persian Gulf Conflict Veterans' Compensation Fund.

In essence the Ballot question asks voters to approve the Commonwealth to borrow up to $20 million for payment of compensation to those who served in the Persian Gulf Conflict in 1990-1991. Payments would be in amount of $525 to a veteran and $5,000 to those imprisoned during the conflict or to survivors of soldiers who died in the conflict or as a result of wounds sustained in the conflict.

You can read the full text here (PDF).

Trick or Treat

Hope everyone had a great night on Tuesday for Trick or Treat. All in all it was a great night. You couldn't beat the weather and my daughters are both at an age where they really get into the costumes and the candy so that made it all the more fun.

For the first hour I handed out candy from the house to seemingly endless groups of kids and parents. Everyone was nice, friendly, and polite. The kids all said trick or treat, or were being coached to do so, and most said thank you including the parents. Many even commented on the jack o'lanterns we had out front that my wife and daughters had carved.

The second hour I took the girls around town. Along the way we saw people we knew and didn't know, chatted with many from house to house, and stopped at friends' homes to say hi. By eight o'clock we were on our way home, candy bags filled and two tired little girls struggling to cover the final few blocks.

It seems despite any issues that may be taking place in town, at the schools, or personally at home, most everyone put them aside and had a great time. The weather probably contributed to what seemed like larger than usually numbers of people (not to mention that other communities didn't trick or treat on halloween and we had some extra visitors), but the point to me is that it demonstrated there are a lot of good people in this community. It also showed me (up on my soapbox) how critical it is to be pedestrian friendly.

People need to engage the community they live in on a physical, tangible way. Walking in town, going to stores, seeing people out and saying hello to them, can only be encouraged by making it as safe as possible for pedestrians to walk throughout town and to have destinations for them to walk to.

It is for these latter reasons that I am encouraged by the Nazareth News Agency's business shift, the upcoming opening of Dutch n'Such, as well as the special events that are planned by the Business Council, Chamber, Moravian Historical Society, and others. I think the Main Street Initiative can encourage and promote both business, events, and advocate more measures to ensure pedestrians are safe when walking in town. The borough has taken some small steps with crosswalks being repainted in some areas and the sign on Main at the Circle, but a more comprehensive effort will be needed and some additional enforcement at some notoriously challenging intersections would help as well.

I hope you all had as nice a night as my family and I did. If you walk a lot in town, feel free to post some intersections that you'd like to see improved for pedestrians, and when driving through town, try to give pedestrians a break (and don't forget, wait until they are across the entire street before going, not once there is enough room for your car to pass without hitting them- this drives me nuts;-)

New Site Design Feedback

Want to thank those of you who took a few minutes to complete the survey regarding the new site design. This post is to let everyone know that I've been following the feedback, but I'm going to hold off on making any further major changes for a little while, because of course the opinion on the new design was split nearly 50/50.

To the individual who was a web designer and commented, I genuinely appreciate your professional input, but have to admit, my 'design' was nothing more than acquiring an available template and changing the font style, color, and header graphic. In short, I know enough to be dangerous, and not enough to understand it all. Maybe you could email me on the side with some input for a layman like me to address the issues you mentioned.

If you haven't given your opinion on the new design and layout, please take a moment to do so.

You can take the survey (roughly five questions one page, very painless) here.

You won't hurt my feelings, I'm simply looking to make the site as useful as possible for everyone.

Thanks again for all your help, input, and continued readership!

NASD Posts Contract Update as of 10-31-06

The NASD is on the offensive in the area of public relations with another release on its web site of contract negotiations information. The most recent is a Contract Negotiation Update 10/31/06 (read it here in PDF format).

(With a notable exception you can't miss below, I'll keep my opinion out of the summary and save it for the comments)

The document highlights eight negotiation 'facts'.

1. Healthcare - makes a few points including the NAEA requested specific services and NASD offered to make available alternative plans to meet individuals' needs. Also stated (as was noted here previously) that the Administrators receive the same medical plan as the teachers and that no new proposals have been made by NAEA regarding healthcare.
   
2. Negotiation Status - restates the recent request by the NAEA, to meet, the NASD to arrange the meeting and then the response by the NAEA's PSEA negotiator that stated:
1. Generally speaking, I do not see it as being anything but a waste of time to
   meet unless the District has a better proposal to make as I do not believe that my team is prepared to modify their offer….
   
3. Real Estate Tax - in addition to stating that whichever contract proposal is approved the taxes will go up, the NASD states that:
1. that residents of the Nazareth Area School District currently rank 164th out of the 501 school districts in local tax burden paid to support public education. Nazareth residents now rank among the top 1/3 of the school districts in the State in their
   local tax dollar contribution to public education. This ranking is determined on the basis of the equalized tax mill rate determined through a formula provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
   
4. Act 1 - almost too much to address here, but in short Act 1 caps the amount a district can raise mills on a percentage basis in a year. NASD is concerned that with building projects planned and other costs of operation it will not be able to operate without cutting 'critical' programs. It also notes that a voter referendum can be used to increase over the cap.
1. This section is fear mongering at its best. Each year during the budget if the NASD needs a big tax hike they threaten to cut band, music, technology, and any other area they expect people to be upset about. The people come in and complain, the tax hike goes through, because the people "wanted it".
   
1. This is the area where the Board needs to be accountable for its fiscal decisions (such as the building projects) and not simply threaten to slash education if the people don't accept another tax hike. The education should be at the top of the list, not at the bottom. Further, if this is the business environment in which the NASD finds itself, they must plan ahead based on having to accommodate it and it does not appear they are doing this given the building projects being discussed and planned for.
   
5. Salary Compaction - first addresses the complaint that the salary comparison on the NASD site is not fair. Next addresses fact that NAEA previously wanted higher top scale and was willing to concede on entry level pay resulting in Nazareth being about $6000 below Parkland in year one, but $7000 higher on top level. (again this compares parkland's current to Nazareth's proposal so its not quite 100%, but the approach/reasoning why is explained).
   
6. Past Negotiations - state that in 2000 contract was virtually resolved before it began and in 2003 a mediator was present throughout. Both times meetings were held at the NASD offices.
   
7. Professional Negotiator - NASD defends its hiring of a professional negotiator on the basis that the cost is minimal considering the overall cost of the contract and that the NAEA utilized the services of the PSEA's professional negotiator and the NASD needed to balance that.
   
8. Administrative Raises - Notes the NAEA has inaccurate facts, including an increase for an individual whose number of days and responsibilities changed significantly, but was included as a standard raise for the same work.
   

There is also a 9th fact in the document titled NASD/NAEA Last Offer Salary Comparison (read the PDF here).

This chart shows a comparison between the NASD and NAEA's proposal. The notable exception is it shows the 16 compacted steps instead of the 21 (I believe) current ones that the NAEA wishes to keep. This means that some individuals who would have increased a step will not under the compaction plan, because there are fewer of them.

Tax Study Commission

I noticed today that the School District has posted the minutes of a special session appointing the Tax Study Commission. The Commissioners are included by name in the document.

You can read the minutes in PDF format here.

Comment to Post on PSSA test results

An anonymous reader made a comment that I think deserves a post in and of itself given the work involved. It is in regard to the Quakertown School District article. The reader found what I did when I made a comparison of similarly sized school districts (see my posts on the PSSAs) - Nazareth was not as high as I thought it would be.

Here it is the comment that was made:

The Quakertown article was an interesting read. Is it possible that people are starting to realize that throwing $$ at schools isn’t necessarily the solution?

On a different note, I was at the bus stop this morning when the teacher’s contract situation came up. One parent continued to “sing the praises” of the Nazareth School District and how the “scores” are the “best in the Valley”. Well, I wanted to believe that, so I took the 2006 PSSA scores and did a little work in Excel.

For my analysis, I used all the districts in Northampton Co (Bangor, Bethlehem, Easton, Nazareth, Northampton, Pen Argyl, Saucon Valley and Wilson), Lehigh Co (Allentown, Catasaqua, East Penn, No. Lehigh, NW Lehigh, Parkland, Salisbury, So. Lehigh and Whitehall). I also threw Quakertown in there because of the article above. The total number of districts in my analysis is 18.

I sorted by grade (they take the tests in 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 & 11) and percentage advanced+proficient for both math and reading. The scores for each grade are the combined scores from all schools in that district. For example the 3rd through 5th grades for Nazareth would encompass (Bushkill, Lower Nazareth and Shafer Elementary). My findings:

3rd grade - Nazareth: 11th for Math; 10th for Reading

4th grade – Nazareth: 9th Math; 8th Reading

5th grade – Nazareth: 8th Math; 6th Reading

6th grade – Nazareth: 8th Math; 7th Reading

7th grade – Nazareth: 5th Math; 2nd Reading

8th grade – Nazareth: 10th Math; 9th Reading

11th grade – Nazareth: 9th Math; 3rd Reading

Do the numbers surprise anyone? I honestly thought better of the Nazareth schools. We were only 2nd in one category and 3rd in another. The rest of the rankings fell right in the middle of 18 districts.

Furthermore, when you break down the schools in the top 3 of each grade for both reading and math, some very familiar names rise to the top.

So. Lehigh MATH (1 first, 2 seconds); READING (2 first, 1 second, 1 third)
Saucon Valley MATH (1/2/2); READING (1/1/1)
Quakertown MATH (2/1/1); READING (1/1/2)
Parkland MATH (1/1/2); READING (2/2/0)

So what’s this say? Maybe Nazareth’s reputation is just that. Reputation only.


End of posted comment.

I think it does raise the issue that Nazareth has a good reputation for many reasons, but that we also need to quantify this belief to ensure it is accurate/true.

So how do you quantify it? Thoughts? Ideas? Other comments related to these score results?

New Site Design Survey

Over the weekend I redesigned the site based on early feedback I had received from readers along with some thoughts I had, but didn't previously incorporate.

If you could take a few minutes to complete this short survey on the new design it would be much appreciated.

Take the New Site Design Survey.

Best wishes and thanks for reading,

Ross

Shafer - No Parent Visitation during American Education Week

The Shafer Elementary School Newsletter came home yesterday and in it the Principal's message stated:

The traditional "Turkey Lunches" will be served during the week of November 13th. There will be NO classroom observations - lunch only.

Typically, the turkey lunch and parent observation coincided with both Thanksgiving and American Education Week. It was an opportunity for parents to observe in the classroom and a treat for the kids to have their parents there and share lunch with them. The observation was for an hour or so before the lunch period.

It seems to me that taking the observation away is not conducive to enouraging parent involvement in a child's education. What do you think? Should a parent observation period be held or not? Why stop the activity? Is it for security, concern of what may be said given the teachers' contract situation, or simply a new direction by a new principal? I'd also be curious to know if the observation is being held in the other schools or if it has been removed district-wide.

Also of interest, recent conversation on this site discussed car drop-off situation and a reminder was included in the newsletter stating, "If you are dropping your child by car, please remember to use the back entrance only."

Finally, a note from Tracy Smith, Director of Educational Technology, encourages parents to sign up for the district email alert. Visit http://www.nazarethasd.k12.pa.us, select register, and check the box that says Events and Activities. While I thought I had done this, it must have been with PTA, it took about a minute this time around. I skipped everything except the required fields (*'s) and did not sign in to the site afterward as it said my registration was accepted.

Teachers' Pay and Test Scores

A reader brought an article that appeared in the Morning Call (read it here) on Sunday to my attention. I too had read the article, but the reader was curious what everyone's thoughts were on the subject of Teachers' Pay and Test Scores given Nazareth's current contract talks.

In short, one Director in Quakertown questioned the district's PSSA test scores in relation to teachers' pay:

School Director Manuel Alfonso was pleased overall with scores unveiled at Thursday's school board meeting but said there still was a disconnect between the district's teacher salaries and its scores.

''We have among the highest salaries in Pennsylvania, and our student test scores do not reflect that investment,'' Alfonso said.

Given the teachers' refusal of the districts' offer of about 4% per year for five years, what do you think the expectation of student performance should be once the new contract is approved? What measurement should be used? How should results be announced to the community? Should there be no change at all (ie no correlation)?

Past NewsOverCoffee articles on PSSA.
Past NewsOverCoffee articles on TeachersStrike.

Skate Park Moves Ahead

In an article in the Express-Times (read it here) it was reported that Nazareth Borough has earmarked $30,000.00 in next year's budget for a Skate Park.

This project was discussed throughout the spring and summer. The money is from impact fees and must be used for recreation purposes.

Read other articles about the Skate Park here.

A Moment to Think and Pray for those Serving Overseas and at Home

An article today in the Express-Times (read it here) serves as a reminder to take a moment now and again (and not only on holidays) to think about and pray for those serving our country overseas and at home.

The article, "Family serves and protects" features two brothers from Nazareth and a cousin who lives in Easton, all of whom are serving in the Marines in Iraq. The family lives near me and while the Marine Flag that flies below the American one and the sun faded yellow ribbon on a tree are reminders of their sons' being away, for me it was a time last summer that was most poignant.

I was working outside when a jeep pulled up and five young men in tan tees, camo pants and black boots jumped out. Several carried tan duffles and headed into the house. A few moments later two came out and set off in a jog down the street. In those two moments I saw many things. They were young, dedicated, and it was clear their job was their life. It was what they did and they were dedicated to it. They had to be as they put their life at risk for us and the principles we hold dear.

There are many men and women throughout the Valley and Nazareth who have and continue to serve. They are not all young, some are fathers and husbands, who leave their family for unknown lengths of time. It is a life they chose and it is one not without struggle and challenges. For all they do and endure, keep them in your thoughts and prayers, ask about them, and if you see them be thankful they've returned to us.

More Home Builders Offering Incentives to Buy

I've noticed more homes on the market longer than they have been in past years and an article in the Morning Call (read it here) notes more builders are offering incentives to home buyers. Both are a sign of a slowing market.

In the Morning Call article it specifically mentions a development in Upper Nazareth as offering special financing and money toward closing costs.

With any luck, the slowing market will halt additional developments in the school district at least in the near future and until the district can get a handle on its building situation.

What do you think? Will development continue at pace or will it indeed slow?

Java Jam on Main Street

Received a note from a reader over the weekend about an event they attended Saturday night at the Nazareth News Agency, the first "Java Jam."

As I noted a few weeks back (read the post here) the Nazareth News Agency is changing. As the reader noted the Java Jam featured local band "Magic Bean", who played an eclectic mix of classic rock, folk and original music. Two of the band members work at Martin Guitar. They were great!

The place was packed with people of all ages from kids to seniors! Mike, Heidi and their staff of family members served various types of coffee beverages and smoothies. They also offer baked treats from surrounding local businesses (Pie Shop, West End deli). They sampled all their specialty beverages and everything was yummy.

The reader also noted that it was a really fun, inexpensive and a safe night out.

Finally, the reader, who is also volunteering on the Main Street Initiative group with me, stated that this was exactly the kind of thing we need on Main Street, and it deserves the support of our community.

I think in this regard there are some exciting things happening on Main Street and hopefully the group will be able to support these businesses, the existing ones, and recruit new ones to build it up even more. Not only will it help with the tax base, but it will make Main Street a destination.

Were you at the Java Jam on Saturday night? What did you think? Have you been to the News Agency since it transformed? What are your thoughts? Stop in and tell us about it.