City Council

BETHLEHEM CITY COUNCIL MEETING 10 East Church Street - Town Hall Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Tuesday, March 15, 2022 – 7:00 PM PLEDGE TO THE FLAG 1. ROLL CALL President Colón called the meeting to order. Present were Grace Crampsie Smith, Wandalyn J. Enix, Hillary G. Kwiatek, Rachel Leon, Paige Van Wirt, Kiera L. Wilhelm, and Michael G. Colón, 7. CITATIONS Honoring Alan Kucsan President Colón stated the Citation for Alan Kucsan on the occasion of his retirement from the Public Works/Facilities Department after over 35 years of service will be mailed to him. Honoring Robert Kucsan President Colón stated the Citation for Robert Kucsan on the occasion of his retirement from the Public Works/Facilities Department after over 30 years of service will be mailed to him. Honoring Mark DeMasi President Colón stated the Citation for Mark DeMasi on the occasion of his retirement from the Public Works/Streets Department after over 31 years of service will be mailed to him. PUBLIC HEARING President Colón stated prior to the consideration of the regular Agenda items; City Council will conduct a Public Hearing to accept public comment on the City’s Pollutant Reduction Plan (PRP). The purpose of the PRP is to identify Water Quality Stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs) to reduce sediment loading to impaired local surface waters over a five (5) year time period. In connection with the public hearing there is one document: a memorandum from Michael Alkhal, Director of Public Works, dated February 18, 2022 to City Council, requesting a hearing at tonight’s meeting to discuss the City’s Pollutant Reduction Plan. Mr. Alkhal explained the plan is required as part of the city’s Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System MS4 permit. It is a plan that is prepared by the city that outlines and evaluates best management practices that will reduce pollutants from entering our waters of the U. S. from surface water runoff from the city. The permit is renewed every five (5) years and the plan is updated accordingly every five (5) years. The initial plan was prepared in June of 2020. We have been working with the DEP and we received comments back from them and then we submitted what we hoped was a final plan and we actually had a previous public hearing in February 2021 where the public had an opportunity to comment on the plan. This meeting was advertised to encourage the Bethlehem City Council Meeting 2 March 15, 2022 public review and comment. The reason for this second public hearing is that we received additional comments from the DEP. The plan was revised by the city and resubmitted. Part of the requirement is if there are sufficient changes to the plan, we hold another public hearing to encourage public participation. That is what we are doing tonight. President Colón mentioned the plan is on the city’s website and that written comments can be submitted for 30 days from the date it was posted. Mr. Alkhal stated that is correct and the city will prepare responses to those comments and submit them to the DEP along with the revised plan. President Colón just wanted to confirm that there will be an opportunity via the city’s website to review the plan and give input if they are not here tonight. Public Comment None. President Colón stated the final Pollutant Reduction plan will be distributed to the city on a future date. President Colón adjourned the Public Hearing at 7:06 pm. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES January 18, 2022. 3. PUBLIC COMMENT (on any subject not being voted on this evening – 5 Minute Time Limit) Wilbur Mansion Trees Daniel Church, 437 Brighton Street, informed for a short time he was editor of the Bethlehem Globe-Times. At a university, he majored in American Studies with focus on Architectural History. During a few summers he worked at the Smithsonian Institution researching landscape architecture of the 1850s. During a final college summer he led a team preparing an inventory of architecture on the eastern shore of Maryland under the Department of the Interior. In Bethlehem in 1970 and 1971, he assisted the Dean of the Department of Urban Planning in developing an alternative plan for Bethlehem’s downtown. It emphasized retention rather than demolition of existing structures. It was rejected by the city, but time has proven many of its recommendations viable. He offers this as a background to his initial enthusiasm for the Wilbur Mansion development. As for the apartment block, he figures that the mature trees along Brighton Street combined with required plantings along the development’s skirt would suffice, but he was not overly optimistic. Mr. Church then shows Council pictures of the current state of Brighton Street after the clear cutting of street trees, all with a caliper of 12 to 14 inches. They will be replaced, he is told, with trees less than a quarter of that diameter, trees that will also be considerably shorter than those they replaced. The city has its reasons, but he does not consider it sufficient for harm done. This makes buffer planting required of the developer more Bethlehem City Council Meeting 3 March 15, 2022 important as a barrier, but there is a problem. He showed a photo of a debris field where the city requires planting and then showed a photo of a literal cover up as it spreads a coating of soil over debris now buried along the planting area. A licensed landscape architect, a friend said that it is best practice; proper site preparation requires removal of all debris replacing it with topsoil. As shown, he said the plantings will die. He may be wrong but, as he understands, there is no statutory requirement for a developer other than to plant, not for any plant to live at all. He recognizes that the developer, John Noble, is somewhat of a hero for retaining a chimney vital to migratory birds but these are migratory and here for only a few days annually. We have been here in Bethlehem since 1972 at 365 days per year. He does not expect the city which cleared the trees to care whether the developer’s plantings die or whether they care we have any viable screen as stipulated by city code. He is just very disappointed. President Colón thanked Mr. Church for his comments and stated he is welcome to retrieve his photos. Parking Arthur Curatola, 813 Laufer Street, stated he would like to speak about the situation of parking in our city. He went to countless meetings with the Bethlehem Parking Authority and he gave them many ideas to help the situation of parking so they could be an authority of parking, but they did nothing. We need to keep sacred the Sabbath Day and not give people tickets in parking lots on a Sunday when there are very little places to park to begin with. After all we are the Christmas City. Mr. Curatola explained he is a handicapped military veteran and he tries to make a living as a musician and we do not get more than $50 to $75 on a Friday or Saturday night. But if we come back to our home late after doing a performance we cannot find a parking spot in our local area. He parked in the Parking Authority lot and he got a ticket. Something needs to be done with the Parking Authority: they are not an authority. They make money off the expense of handicapped senior citizens that served our country. We need to do something about this. Council Microphone/Moravian House Eddie Rodriguez, 701 Main Street, mentioned there are individuals on Council including others in the audience that either cannot hear what you are saying at times and we made the request, some of you are soft spoken with respect to Council Members and there are others that talk to others while in a meeting and do not talk to the audience. Please talk into the microphones so we can hear you clearly. We want to hear what you are saying unless it is a private issue. He lives in the Moravian House and there is second-hand smoke there. He has emphysema which is getting worse. He is asking the city to do something about this. The Moravian Houses are privately owned and that is the issue, so they can do whatever they want. He thinks the rules should be changed. He talked to HUD and they told him the same thing that it is privately owned and they can do whatever they want. He wanted to talk to Council about this. He smells cigarette smoke coming through his walls every night; he believes this should be inspected. He needs Council to consider that the city should do something about this. Bill Scheirer, 1890 Eaton Avenue, noted one of his favorite lines from the movie Casablanca is when the Chief of Police is told to do something about something that has happened and he says “Round up the usual suspects”. He is holding a copy of the draft Historic Bethlehem City Council Meeting 4 March 15, 2022 Preservation Plan prepared for the City of Bethlehem in 2010 by a firm from Hoboken, New Jersey, which is 150 pages. He would like to read a paragraph on page 4. This plan envisions a diverse and wide-ranging future role for historic preservation as an essential strategy for maintaining Bethlehem’s unique sense of place. A powerful tool for economic development and community revitalization, a significant generator of jobs, income, and tax revenues, a key element of the environmentally sustainable city. A vital approach to understanding how diverse cultures have come together to shape the society we know today and a broad inclusive project that integrates a preservation ethic into a community’s decision making so that historic resources are identified, preserved, experienced, and enjoyed. As you might have noted from the date this was done during the Callahan Administration, there was a Bethlehem Task Force of residents who included a member of the present City Council. We seem to have gotten away from such sentiments and have been hearing about game-changing development. Mr. Scheirer noted there is a new design for the Boyd project which he finds is a significant improvement. It is not great, but it is an improvement from the original design. He saw a photo of a historic tenement building in New York City from the turn of the last century and there was a remarkable similarity between that photo and the original design of the Boyd Theatre project, so in a way it was historic but not good historic. He believes we are not paying enough attention to historic preservation because historic buildings are being demolished. It is a mistake. When you have cookie cutter apartment buildings there is no sense of place. Council Votes Stephen Antalics, 737 Ridge Street, noted he finds it interesting reviewing the votes which involve developer’s interests, primarily on the south side. He found it fascinating that many votes were 4-3. There was a recent report in the paper that 6 of the 7 Council Members expressed a concern for historic preservation of the south side in the future. It became clear that these votes were gender oriented. The thing is that the issue on these developmental issues votes were based on the developer’s wish or the people of the south side’s wish. Whose will was given the sway? Clearly, it was the developers. Both genders had the same facts before them. Some philosopher said that if women raised their families according to the patriarchal standards society as we know it today would not exist. What it is saying is that men will take lives to preserve the law and women will break the law to save lives. Mr. Antalics noted that implies to a natural caretaker tendency which might be innate to a gender. We all know who brings life into the world so maybe having caretakers on City Council might be the best thing that has happened and the votes seem to reflect that. Had this gender bias existed 20 years ago, the south side would not be in such a sad state. 4. PUBLIC COMMENT (on ordinances and resolutions to be voted on by Council this evening – 5 Minute Time Limit) Contract Resolution Stephen Antalics, 737 Ridge Street, mentioned in the resolutions on the agenda there is an approval for an award to Michael Ronca. The question he has is since this current Council seems to be looking at things with a magnifying glass, are these awards put out for public bid. It is Communication 6 E and Resolution 10 F for the Lead Service Line. He asked if City Council looks into these bids to see whether it was done by proper procedure and was this by competitive bid. Some of these people who are given these awards have connections to the city from other areas.  Bethlehem City Council Meeting 5 March 15, 2022 He just does not want to see any kind of patronage going on. He suggests City Council take a close look at this and continue their watchdog approach. 5. OLD BUSINESS A. Members of Council B. Tabled Items C. Unfinished Business 6. COMMUNICATIONS A. Director of Water and Sewer Resources – Recommendation of Award – AECOM – Risk Management Plan Compliance Audits for Bethlehem Water Filtration Plant and Wastewater Treatment Plant The Clerk read a memorandum dated March 2, 2022 from Edward Boscola, Director of Water and Sewer Resources recommending a contract with AECOM for the Risk Management Plan Compliance Audits for the Bethlehem Water Filtration Plant and Wastewater Treatment Plan. The term of the contract shall run from the notice to proceed until December 31, 2022. The cost of the contract is $16,900 and there are no renewals. President Colón stated Resolution 10 C is on the agenda. B. Director of Public Works – Recommendation of Award – Traffic Planning and Design, Inc. – Traffic Signal Upgrades at Club Avenue and Union Boulevard, and Linden Street and Goepp Street The Clerk read a memorandum dated March 1, 2022 from Michael Alkhal, Director of Public Works recommending a contract with Traffic Planning and Design, Inc. for the Traffic Signal Upgrades at Club Avenue and Union Boulevard, and Linden Street and Goepp Street. The term of the contract or estimated completion date is December 31, 2022. The cost of the contract is $30,400 and there are no renewals. President Colón stated Resolution 10 D is on the agenda. . C. Director of Budget and Finance – Recommendation of Award – Garden State Fireworks, Inc. – Fourth of July Fireworks The Clerk read a memorandum dated March 8, 2022 from Mark W. Sivak, Director of Budget and Finance, recommending a contract with Garden State Fireworks, Inc. for the Fourth of July Fireworks. The term of the contract is July 4, 2022 with a rain date of July 5, 2022. The cost of the contract is $33,000 with no renewals. President Colón stated Resolution 10 E is on the agenda. D. City Solicitor – Use Permit Agreement – St. Luke’s University Health Network – 2022 Boutique at the Rink Bethlehem City Council Meeting 6 March 15, 2022 The Clerk read a memorandum dated March 9, 2022 from City Solicitor John F. Spirk, Jr., Esq. to which is attached a proposed Resolution and Associated Use Permit Agreement for the 2022 Boutique at the Rink. The permittee is St. Luke’s University Health Network. The duration is May 4, 2022 through June 6, 2022. The location is the Earl E. Schaffer Ice Rink. President Colón stated the Resolution can be placed on the April 5 agenda. E. Director of Water and Sewer Resources – Recommendation of Award – Michael F. Ronca & Sons, Inc. – Lead Service Line Replacement Project The Clerk read a memorandum dated March 9, 2022 from Edward Boscola, Director of Water and Sewer Resources, recommending a contract with Michael F. Ronca & Sons, Inc. for the Lead Service Line Replacement Project. The term of the contract shall run from notice to proceed until April 30, 2023. The cost of the contract is $2,587,447.50. There are no renewals. President Colón stated Resolution 10 F is on the agenda. F. City Solicitor – Recommendation of Award – Campbell Durrant, P.C. The Clerk read a memorandum dated March 9, 2022 from John F. Spirk, Jr., Esq., City Solicitor, recommending a contract with Campbell Durrant, P.C. for Labor and Employment Legal Counsel on an as-needed basis. The estimated cost of the contract is $100,000 per year. The City may discontinue at any time. President Colón stated Resolution 10 G is on the agenda. G. Assistant City Solicitor – Amending Article 1733 – International Property Maintenance Code The Clerk read a memorandum dated March 10, 2022 from Matthew Deschler, Assistant City Solicitor with an attached proposed bill amending Article 1733 titled International Property Maintenance Code to adopt the 2018 version of the International Property Maintenance Code. President Colón stated the Ordinance can be placed on the April 5 agenda for First Reading. H. Director of Public Works – Recommendation of Award – Semmel Excavation, LLC and Telco, Inc. – S. New Street Streetscape Project The Clerk read a memorandum dated March 10, 2022 from Michael Alkhal, Director of Public Works recommending a contract with Semmel Excavation, LLC and Telco, Inc. for the South New Street Streetscape Project between Third Street and Morton Street. The term of the contract or estimated completion date is December 31, 2022. The cost of the contract is $1,652,619.00 and there are no renewals. President Colón stated Resolution 10 H is on the agenda. I. Director of Planning and Zoning – Memo and Resolution – DCNR Funds for Fairview Park Revitalization Bethlehem City Council Meeting 7 March 15, 2022 The Clerk read a memorandum dated March 10, 2022 from Darlene Heller, Director of Planning and Zoning with an attached resolution to allow the city to accept a Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources grant to fund the Fairview Park Revitalization project. President Colón stated Resolution 10 I is on the agenda. J. Director of Planning and Zoning – Memo and Resolution – Northampton County Livable Landscapes and DCNR Funds for Monocacy Way Expansion The Clerk read a memorandum dated March 10, 2022 from Darlene Heller, Director of Planning and Zoning with two attached resolutions to allow the city to accept grant funds from both the Northampton County Open Space Initiative Livable Landscapes Grant Program and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The city wants to use the grants to help fund the expansion of the Monocacy Trail from Schoenersville Road to the D & L Trail. President Colón stated Resolutions 10 J and 10 K are on the agenda. 7. REPORTS A. President of Council B. Mayor Congratulations-Fire Chief Warren Achey Mayor Reynolds wanted to congratulate Fire Chief Warren Achey; he is celebrating 30 years with the City of Bethlehem today, so we wanted to thank him for his service to the city. President Colón congratulated Chief Achey. C. Finance Committee Meeting Chairwoman Enix stated the Finance Committee met on Tuesday, March 8, 2022 at 6:00 pm in Town Hall. The Committee discussed seven (7) agenda items: The first agenda item was to review a proposed adjustment to the General Fund year end budget. The second agenda item was to review a proposed adjustment to the Golf Fund year end budget. The third agenda item was to review a proposed adjustment to the Non-Utility Capital Improvement Fund year end budget. The fourth agenda item was to review a proposed adjustment to the Water Capital Fund year end budget. The fifth agenda item was to review a proposed adjustment to the Sewer Capital Fund year end budget. The sixth agenda item was to review a proposed adjustment to the Community Development Block Grant Fund year end budget. The seventh agenda item was to review a proposed bond issue by the Bethlehem Authority. Committee votes were taken on each of the seven (7) agenda items, and for each item, the Finance Committee voted to recommend placement of appropriate legislation on one or more future council agendas. The budget adjustment ordinances are on tonight’s agenda for First Reading. The bond parameters ordinance will be on a future council agenda. Bethlehem City Council Meeting 8 March 15, 2022 8. ORDINANCES FOR FINAL PASSAGE None. 9. NEW ORDINANCES A. Bill No. 01 – 2022 – Amending 2022 General Fund – General Fund Adjustments The Clerk read Bill No. 01-2022 – Amending 2022 General Fund – General Fund Adjustments sponsored by Ms. Leon and Dr. Enix and titled: AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF BETHLEHEM, COUNTIES OF LEHIGH AND NORTHAMPTON, COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA, AMENDING THE 2022 GENERAL FUND BUDGET President Colón mentioned he was able to attend all but the last few minutes of the Finance Committee Meeting and he will be supporting all of these ordinances as proposed tonight. Voting AYE: Ms. Wilhelm, Ms. Crampsie Smith, Dr. Enix, Ms. Kwiatek, Ms. Leon, Dr. Van Wirt, and Mr. Colón, 7. Bill No. 01-2022 was passed on First Reading. B. Bill No. 02 – 2022 – Amending 2022 Golf Course Enterprise Fund – Adjustments The Clerk read Bill No. 02-2022 – Amending 2022 Golf Course Enterprise Fund Budget – Adjustments sponsored by Ms. Leon and Dr. Enix and titled: AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF BETHLEHEM, COUNTIES OF LEHIGH AND NORTHAMPTON, COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA, AMENDING THE GOLF COURSE ENTERPRISE FUND BUDGET FOR 2022 Voting AYE: Ms. Wilhelm, Ms. Crampsie Smith, Dr. Enix, Ms. Kwiatek, Ms. Leon, Dr. Van Wirt, and Mr. Colón, 7. Bill No. 02-2022 was passed on First Reading. C. Bill No. 03 – 2022 – Amending 2022 Capital Budget for Non-Utilities – Adjustments The Clerk read Bill No. 03-2022 – Amending 2022 Capital Budget for Non-Utilities – Adjustments sponsored by Ms. Leon and Dr. Enix and titled: AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF BETHLEHEM, COUNTIES OF LEHIGH AND NORTHAMPTON, COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA, AMENDING THE 2022 CAPITAL BUDGET FOR NON-UTILITIES Voting AYE: Ms. Wilhelm, Ms. Crampsie Smith, Dr. Enix, Ms. Kwiatek, Ms. Leon, Dr. Van Wirt, and Mr. Colón, 7. Bill No. 03-2022 was passed on First Reading. Bethlehem City Council Meeting 9 March 15, 2022 D. Bill No. 04 – 2022 – Amending 2022 Capital Budget for Water Utilities – Adjustments The Clerk read Bill No. 04-2022 – Amending 2022 Capital Budget for Water Utilities – Adjustments sponsored by Ms. Leon and Dr. Enix and titled: AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF BETHLEHEM, COUNTIES OF LEHIGH AND NORTHAMPTON, COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA, AMENDING THE 2022 CAPITAL BUDGET FOR WATER UTILITIES Voting AYE: Ms. Wilhelm, Ms. Crampsie Smith, Dr. Enix, Ms. Kwiatek, Ms. Leon, Dr. Van Wirt, and Mr. Colón, 7. Bill No. 04-2022 was passed on First Reading. E. Bill No. 05 – 2022 – Amending 2022 Capital Budget for Sewer Utilities – Adjustments The Clerk read Bill No. 05-2022 – Amending 2022 Capital Budget for Sewer Utilities – Adjustments sponsored by Ms. Leon and Dr. Enix and titled: AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF BETHLEHEM, COUNTIES OF LEHIGH AND NORTHAMPTON, COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA, AMENDING THE 2022 CAPITAL BUDGET FOR SEWER UTILITIES Voting AYE: Ms. Wilhelm, Ms. Crampsie Smith, Dr. Enix, Ms. Kwiatek, Ms. Leon, Dr. Van Wirt, and Mr. Colón, 7. Bill No. 05-2022 was passed on First Reading. F. Bill No. 06 – 2022 – Amending 2022 Community Development Block Grant Budget – Adjustments The Clerk read Bill No. 06-2022 – Amending 2022 Community Development Block Grant Budget –Adjustments sponsored by Ms. Leon and Dr. Enix and titled: AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF BETHLEHEM, COUNTIES OF LEHIGH AND NORTHAMPTON, COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA, AMENDING THE 2022 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT BUDGET Voting AYE: Ms. Wilhelm, Ms. Crampsie Smith, Dr. Enix, Ms. Kwiatek, Ms. Leon, Dr. Van Wirt, and Mr. Colón, 7. Bill No. 06-2022 was passed on First Reading. 10. RESOLUTIONS A. Authorizing Use Permit Agreement – American Association of University Women, Bethlehem Branch – 2022 60th Annual Book Fair Ms. Leon and Dr. Enix sponsored Resolution No. 2022-038 that authorized a Use Permit Agreement for Public Property with the American Association of University Women, Bethlehem Bethlehem City Council Meeting 10 March 15, 2022 Branch for the 2022 60th Annual Book Fair from April 4, 2022 to May 2, 2022, at the Earl E. Schaffer Ice Rink according to the agreement. Voting AYE: Ms. Wilhelm, Ms. Crampsie Smith, Dr. Enix, Ms. Kwiatek, Ms. Leon, Dr. Van Wirt, and Mr. Colón, 7. The Resolution passed. B. Authorizing Use Permit Agreement – Work to Live, LLC dba Run Lehigh Valley – Brew to Brew Run Ms. Leon and Dr. Enix sponsored Resolution No. 2022-039 that authorized a Use Permit Agreement for public property with Work to Live, LLC d/b/a Run Lehigh Valley for the Brew to Brew Run Event April 9, 2022 with a rain date of April 16, 2022, at Nevin Place (adjacent to Sun Inn Courtyard) and Main Street from Church Street to Broad Street according to the agreement. Voting AYE: Ms. Wilhelm, Ms. Crampsie Smith, Dr. Enix, Ms. Kwiatek, Ms. Leon, Dr. Van Wirt, and Mr. Colón, 7. The Resolution passed. C. Approve Contract – AECOM – Risk Management Plan Compliance Audits for Bethlehem Water Filtration Plant and Bethlehem Wastewater Treatment Plant Ms. Leon and Dr. Enix sponsored Resolution No. 2022-040 that authorized to execute a contract with AECOM for Risk Management Plan Compliance Audits for Bethlehem Water Filtration Plant and Bethlehem Wastewater Treatment Plant. Voting AYE: Ms. Wilhelm, Ms. Crampsie Smith, Dr. Enix, Ms. Kwiatek, Ms. Leon, Dr. Van Wirt, and Mr. Colón, 7. The Resolution passed. D. Approve Contract – Traffic Planning and Design, Inc. – Traffic Signal Upgrades at Union Boulevard and Club Avenue, Linden Street and Goepp Street Ms. Leon and Dr. Enix sponsored Resolution No. 2022-041 that authorized to execute a contract with Traffic Planning and Design, Inc. for Traffic Signal Upgrades at Union Boulevard and Club Avenue, Linden Street and Goepp Street. Voting AYE: Ms. Wilhelm, Ms. Crampsie Smith, Dr. Enix, Ms. Kwiatek, Ms. Leon, Dr. Van Wirt, and Mr. Colón, 7. The Resolution passed. E. Approve Contract – Garden State Fireworks, Inc. – July 4th Fireworks Ms. Leon and Dr. Enix sponsored Resolution No. 2022-042 that authorized to execute a contract with Garden State Fireworks for the July 4th Fireworks. Voting AYE: Ms. Wilhelm, Ms. Crampsie Smith, Dr. Enix, Ms. Kwiatek, Ms. Leon, Dr. Van Wirt, and Mr. Colón, 7. The Resolution passed. F. Approve Contract – Michael F. Ronca & Sons, Inc. – Lead Service Line Replacement Project Ms. Leon and Dr. Enix sponsored Resolution No. 2022-043 that authorized to execute a contract with Michael F. Ronca & Sons, Inc. for the Lead Service Line Replacement Project. Bethlehem City Council Meeting 11 March 15, 2022 Ms. Kwiatek mentioned in reading and doing her due-diligence she sees there were six bids on this project and Michael Ronca and Sons were found to be the lowest responsible contractor bidding on the project. She wanted to make sure that was out there. Her question is how many lead service lines will this project replace and what percentage that constitutes in terms of the overall need per our city’s water lines. Mr. Boscola stated the target is roughly 300 to 350 lead service lines to be replaced under this project. We do not know what percentage that is of the total number of lead service lines because we do not know exactly how many lead service lines we have in the city. Ms. Kwiatek asked if we know how many service lines there are overall. Mr. Boscola stated 37,000. We suspect there may be several hundred or in the low thousands of lead service lines that may be in the city. We will be obligated under the revised lead in copper roll which the EPA and DEP have been developing over the past several years. This does not go into effect yet until next year in 2023. The goal is to remediate all lead in all water systems across the county. That is obviously a big undertaking and we will do what we have to do to find all the lead. It will require a lot of exploratory digging and excavation. This is just the start of our attempt in remediating all the lead in the city’s system. Dr. Enix would like to say this is an excellent acquisition for Bethlehem. This is $2,587,447.50, it is a PennVest Grant and we should be proud of Mr. Boscola and his office. Ms. Crampsie Smith agrees with Dr. Enix. She asked if the grant covers the total cost and is there a matching fund the city has to put in. Mr. Boscola stated it is 100%. In the Finance Committee, we did add some more city funds because we had some money available in the city’s Water Capital Fund. We want to do more if we find these lead pipes, so we want to err on the side of doing more. If we get to the point where we find the contractor is out there digging up the streets and replacing lead and we say there are 300 to 350 and if we have money left over we will try to keep going until the money runs out. Voting AYE: Ms. Wilhelm, Ms. Crampsie Smith, Dr. Enix, Ms. Kwiatek, Ms. Leon, Dr. Van Wirt, and Mr. Colón, 7. The Resolution passed. G. Approve Contract – Campbell Durrant, P.C. – Labor and Employment Legal Counsel Ms. Leon and Dr. Enix sponsored Resolution No. 2022-044 that authorized to execute a contract with Campbell Durrant, P. C. for Labor and Employment Legal Counsel. Voting AYE: Ms. Wilhelm, Ms. Crampsie Smith, Dr. Enix, Ms. Kwiatek, Ms. Leon, Dr. Van Wirt, and Mr. Colón, 7. The Resolution passed. H. Approve Contract – Semmel Excavation, LLC and Telco, Inc. – S. New Street Streetscape Ms. Leon and Dr. Enix sponsored Resolution No. 2022-045 that authorized to execute a contract with Semmel Excavation, LLC and Telco, Inc. for the South New Street Streetscape work. Bethlehem City Council Meeting 12 March 15, 2022 President Colón asked if they could speak to the scope of this project, which will be up to Morton Street, and then also in our Communication all the different funding sources are identified, but is the city putting any of our dollars into this or is it just from different grants and community partners. Mr. Alkhal informed the only funding that is coming from the city is the Bethlehem Tree Developer’s Fund. The revenue from that is generated by fees that developers pay. The rest is was a $1 million Multi-Modal Transportation Grant, and Lehigh University contributed over $500,000. Some of the funding we are using is also $80,000 from turning back that section of New Street through the city from PennDot (it used to be a state road), the CRIZ $74,000, a Northampton County Investment Partnership Program Grant for $50,000 and the developers fund he mentioned previously. That is what constitutes the total funding for the project. As far as the scope of work, the project limits are from 3rd Street up to Morton Street. The bulk of the work consists of removing sidewalks and replacing them with decorative sidewalks, pavers, realigning a small section of the Greenway that would be east of South New Street. He added that this includes also installing a special crosswalk for the Greenway crossing New Street just south of the Benner building. Obviously there could be other ancillary work, upgrading the ADA ramps and addressing any stormwater issues or any other utility issues. Part of the total project also includes lighting, tree replanting, some bollards, and a unique bus shelter proposed. That is the bulk of the scope of work. Mr. Alkhal informed the project was first initiated and developed back in January of 2017. We bid the project last year but received high bids and could not proceed so we rebid again. When we bid on the second time because of what we discovered as far as the increasing cost, we bid with a base bid and an alternate. What we have funds to do and are asking for approval for a contract to proceed with includes the decorative sidewalks and all the work associated with that, the Greenway crossing, and as part of this contract we will certainly put a new overlay, repaving of the streets. What is not part of the project right now is the bus shelter and some additional streetscape on the south side of Morton Street. The limit right now in this work is the north side-curb line along Morton Street. Ms. Crampsie Smith related that at the recent south side forum in the one session she was in, this was exactly what the residents wanted; they mentioned all of these things. It is great this is on South New Street. She knows many of the business people on Fourth Street mentioned they would like to see some of these things on Fourth Street also. Hopefully at some point in the future we can go on Fourth Street and do some of these improvements. Dr. Van Wirt noted that sometimes the work of Council is dull as mud with risk management compliance plans, record destructions, and budget adjustments, but it is so good to be voting on things that are going to have a direct impact on the quality of life for our citizens. That includes the lead service line replacements; it includes the changes on New Street and the other things we are going to vote on tonight including the Fairview Park revitalization and the Monocacy Way expansion. She wanted to say thank you, Mr. Mayor. These are good things and it is a pleasure to vote on solid progress as well as the things that keep the city running. Voting AYE: Ms. Wilhelm, Ms. Crampsie Smith, Dr. Enix, Ms. Kwiatek, Ms. Leon, Dr. Van Wirt, and Mr. Colón, 7. The Resolution passed. I. Approve Resolution – DCNR Funds for Fairview Park Revitalization Bethlehem City Council Meeting 13 March 15, 2022 Ms. Leon and Dr. Enix sponsored Resolution No. 2022-046 that authorized to approve a grant agreement with the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for the Fairview Park Revitalization. Voting AYE: Ms. Wilhelm, Ms. Crampsie Smith, Dr. Enix, Ms. Kwiatek, Ms. Leon, Dr. Van Wirt, and Mr. Colón, 7. The Resolution passed. J. Approve Resolution – Northampton County Livable Landscapes – Monocacy Way Expansion Ms. Leon and Dr. Enix sponsored Resolution No. 2022-047 that authorized to approve a grant agreement with Northampton County for the County Livable Landscapes and the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for the Monocacy Way expansion. President Colón asked if someone from the Administration could give an overview of what this is for resolutions 10 J and 10 K, they are both related to the Monocacy Way expansion. Darlene Heller, Director of Planning and Zoning, explained this is not the first time we have applied for funds for this project. We feel a little bit encouraged that we will be able to work with DCNR and Northampton County to move forward. We did a trail feasibility study a few years ago and it outlined the significant trail gaps we have to create a network for trails in the city. Public Works is completing the northern end of the Monocacy Way Trail from Schoenersville Road north to Illick’s Mill and that is substantially completed. It will be fully completed in the spring. This project really would close the gap from Schoenersville Road to upgrade Monocacy Way down to Union Boulevard where it is now and then continue that to extend it down to the D & L Trail at Sand Island. The goal is to basically connect everything to the D & L Trail that is the spine of the trail system throughout the region. We have two partners we have worked with on several projects. Ms. Heller noted that DCNR has been an excellent partner with us for many of our parks projects; their grant is required to be a 50/50 match. Coincidently, Northampton County is now accepting applications for parks and open space projects that also require a 50/50 match. We can use the two of those to substantially provide the funds we need for the overall project. It is about $880,000 and we think that is a significant connection for us. This area goes through the Colonial Industrial Quarter; Sand Island is a regional park, so we are looking forward to moving forward with design of this project. President Colón mentioned a lot of these projects, especially when we talk about trails, are not things that happen within a calendar year. They take time and happen in many phases and there is the identifying funding sources and partnering with other levels of government and other organizations. He appreciates Ms. Heller and everyone in her department for the time and energy it takes to not only stay on task but to continue to roll the ball forward so we have things like this in front of us to vote on as we keep making progress. Voting AYE: Ms. Wilhelm, Ms. Crampsie Smith, Dr. Enix, Ms. Kwiatek, Ms. Leon, Dr. Van Wirt, and Mr. Colón, 7. The Resolution passed. K. Approve Resolution – Department of Conservation and Natural Resources – Monocacy Way Expansion Bethlehem City Council Meeting 14 March 15, 2022 Ms. Leon and Dr. Enix sponsored Resolution No. 2022-048 that authorized to approve a grant agreement with the Department of Conservation for the Monocacy Way Expansion – Schoenersville Road to the D & L Trail Corridor. Voting AYE: Ms. Wilhelm, Ms. Crampsie Smith, Dr. Enix, Ms. Kwiatek, Ms. Leon, Dr. Van Wirt, and Mr. Colón, 7. The Resolution passed. Motion – Considering Resolutions 10 L through 10 N as a group – Certificates of Appropriateness Dr. Van Wirt and Dr. Enix moved to consider Resolutions 10 L through 10 N as a group. Voting AYE: Ms. Wilhelm, Ms. Crampsie Smith, Dr. Enix, Ms. Kwiatek, Ms. Leon, Dr. Van Wirt, and Mr. Colón, 7. The Motion passed. L. Certificate of Appropriateness – 458 Center Street Ms. Leon and Dr. Enix sponsored Resolution No. 2022-049 that granted a Certificate of Appropriateness to replace the existing wood porch decking with an alternative, composite porch decking material at 458 Center Street. M. Certificate of Appropriateness – 520 North New Street Ms. Leon and Dr. Enix sponsored Resolution No. 2022-050 that granted a Certificate of Appropriateness to install three new exterior signs at 520 North New Street. N. Certificate of Appropriateness – 405 High Street Ms. Leon and Dr. Enix sponsored Resolution No. 2022-051 that granted a Certificate of Appropriateness to remove the existing slate shingles on their home and replace them with GAF Slateline Shingles in the Antique Slate color at 405 High Street. Voting AYE on Resolutions 10 L through 10 N: Ms. Wilhelm, Ms. Crampsie Smith, Dr. Enix, Ms. Kwiatek, Ms. Leon, Dr. Van Wirt, and Mr. Colón, 7. The Resolutions passed. 11. NEW BUSINESS Microphones/City Clerk Position President Colón remarked that we heard comment tonight about the microphones and he thanked our IT Department for changing the sensitivity of the microphones so we heard people’s comments. So our microphones have been made a little more sensitive to help those in the audience hear us better. St. Patrick’s Day/COVID/City Clerk Vacancy President Colón noted it was St. Patrick’s Day of 2020 when we all got together in this room when COVID-19 was something new and everyone had their different theories and their own opinions. But St. Patrick’s Day of 2020 was the last time we were here before we completely had shut down. A group of us met upstairs speculating of what was going to happen. We even had a Saturday morning meeting as we had to vote on certain things to operate and conduct Bethlehem City Council Meeting 15 March 15, 2022 certain business. The last two years whether you worked in healthcare or education or any sector of our society, those last two years have been very challenging and stressful for just about everyone. The city as is one of the main goals of the new Administration continues to push forward with COVID relief and we as a Council look forward to continuing to support all of that. Two years later it is nice to sit here as a Council and see each other’s faces, some faces are new and even with the new faces this is the first time he has been able to sit up here and see everybody. It has been a long and stressful two years but he is thankful for all of those who keep coming to work every day at City Hall, for his colleagues, new and previous who have been here throughout, including our current Mayor, who have been here and doing what we can seeing the light and coming out of the other side of this. President Colón pointed out that on the city’s website we posted a vacancy. We are going to be looking for a new City Clerk. For all of our YouTube viewership and those following, our City Clerk Robert Vidoni will be moving, not too far but occupying a different space at City Hall. Another department is going to be lucky to have him but after today, this was his last full-time day with us in the Council office. President Colón thanked Mr. Vidoni for his years of service to City Council and to the city. He first met Mr. Vidoni a number of years ago. We were both volunteers for the Human Relations Commission and then President Colón came onto Council and Mr. Vidoni starting working first as the Assistant City Clerk and for the last few years as the City Clerk. He has been a great resource to Council and the city and will continue to be a great resource to the city. While President Colón is not thrilled that Mr. Vidoni is leaving he is thankful he is not going too far. It has been a pleasure working with Mr. Vidoni and he thanks him for all he has done. All seven of us on Council are part-timers in a sense that we all have full-time positions and occupations. Mr. Vidoni with the help of Mrs. Kelechava, our Assistant City Clerk, keep Council on task, organize the meetings, make sure things are communicated to us, coordinate with the Administration, do research, keep him on task as President of Council and there is a lot of thoughtful time and energy that comes out of that office. He thanked Mr. Vidoni and wishes him nothing but the best in his new position. This may be the last time we see him up here in this capacity although we may see him at the lectern in the future in his new job. For those following along you will see on the city’s website that the City Clerk position is posted and is currently up for all of those interested candidates. City Council will be fielding applications through next Thursday. Ms. Leon wanted to echo what the Mayor had said about Fire Chief Warren Achey. Thanks for all of your years of dedication and service. The city is very blessed to have you here. Ms. Leon mentioned it will be difficult not having Mr. Vidoni here, but she is excited to see what he will do in his new position in City Hall on the Administration side. We will feel your absence; it was a pleasure and honor to work with Mr. Vidoni. Dr. Van Wirt believes President Colón summed up most of the praise she would have for Mr. Vidoni and his service here. We are a collection of seven different people with different passions and interests. If you superimpose that on top of the chaos caused by COVID, she still always knew that Mr. Vidoni had a steady hand at the helm and it made all the difference. Ms. Wilhelm remarked that it has only been six months since she has known Mr. Vidoni, but in the two-plus months she has served on Council he has been indispensable. She added that to have Mr. Vidoni be willing and warm about helping us on Council has been incredibly meaningful to a new Council person, thank you. Bethlehem City Council Meeting 16 March 15, 2022 Dr. Enix remarked that she has just met him 43 days ago. It was that evening on February 1st that Mr. Vidoni came over to her and he was so gracious and he had helped her with her issues and has been very attentive, she will miss him but she wishes the best for him. Ms. Crampsie Smith thanked Fire Chief Warren Achey, 30 years is a long time, thank you for your service. She noted that everyone has already expressed how she feels about Mr. Vidoni, she is grateful to Mr. Vidoni. His guidance and support has been superior and unbelievable to her for the past two and a half years. She is happy for Mr. Vidoni and wishes him all the best. Two years ago Mr. Ed Gallagher asked people to do the Bethlehem Moment, historical moments in Bethlehem and he asked her around St. Patrick’s Day if she would talk about the Irish in Bethlehem. She prepared a little blurb about the Irish in Bethlehem and now two years later it is fitting she does this tonight. Irish Heritage Ms. Crampsie Smith began with “Dia Duit”, which is good day in Gaelic as we commemorate Irish American Heritage month she would like to share a wee bit of history on the Irish in Bethlehem. The first settlers to the Lehigh Valley and Bethlehem, in particular, were Scots Irish. That first wave of immigrants pre-dates the 1742 Moravians and arrived in 1728 to build the Craig settlement in Northampton County. Between 1815 and 1834, Irish immigrants arrived just in time for the canal-building boom. The saying was that all you needed to build a canal was a pick, a shovel, a wheelbarrow, and an Irishman. A thousand Irish workers, with help from local German farmers, built the Lehigh Navigation Canal, finishing the 46-mile route that carried anthracite coal from the mines to market in record time. Irish workers were instrumental in building all the anthracite canals and later the railroads that ultimately replaced them. The Irish famine years of the 1840s triggered further Irish immigration. In 1850, Irish immigrants made up more than half of the foreign-born residents of Pennsylvania. How fitting that Bethlehem’s 1st mayor hailed from Ireland. Andrew Harford Boyle emigrated from Burtonport, Ireland, to New Orleans, and then moved to Bethlehem when he attended Lafayette College. He was a successful engineer and merchant and was Mayor of Bethlehem for 27 years, from 1886 to his death in 1913, well before term limits. In 1900, prior to the expansion of the steel mills, the Native Americans, Irish, and German immigrants dominated the population of South Bethlehem. John Fritz of Scot-Irish descent was known as the father of U. S. Iron and Steel Industry and in 1860 he became the general superintendent and chief engineer of the Bethlehem Iron Works. Irish immigrants faced discrimination and were vilified as lazy, drunken, dishonest, and, as Catholics, un-American. The 19th Century found most Irish immigrants and their first- and second-generation descendants at the bottom of the social and economic scale. “No Irish Need Apply” signs were frequently displayed. Strikes and violent confrontations between miners, steelworkers, and others against increasingly remote, wealthy, and autocratic owners did little to help. However, those difficulties led Irish Americans to form strong community supports such as churches, parochial schools, colleges, social groups, beneficial societies, and political groups. These all helped promote many second-and third-generation Irish Americans into the middle class and into positions of social, economic, and political power in Pennsylvania and the nation. In 1861, Holy Infancy Church was established as a parish in South Bethlehem and was the first Catholic Church in Northampton County with a very large Irish-American congregation. South Bethlehem’s first Burgess, James McMahon, a respected Irish citizen, had been an active participant in the organization of Holy Bethlehem City Council Meeting 17 March 15, 2022 Infancy. Patrick Briody, an Irish immigrant who came to America in 1850 from County Meath, Northern Ireland, was also a dedicated founding parishioner of Holy Infancy Church. Mr. Briody was Superintendent of Furnaces for The Bethlehem Iron Company. In March of 1894, he was appointed Postmaster of South Bethlehem, with the Post Office located at the corner of 4th and Brodhead Ave. Mr. Briody was also a member of the School Board and was on the committee for building the Central High School, and Webster, Excelsior, and Packer schools. Like him, many community leaders of Irish descent contributed to the community by the close of the century, including John Donegan, Charles Quinn, James Broughal, and Thomas O’Reilly. We cannot forget the Irish-American women of Bethlehem. Unfortunately, as usual, there is not much written about them in the history books. Her uncle, James Bonner, hailed from County Donegal in Ireland. He and his wife gave birth to their daughter, Cynthia Bonner, in Bethlehem in 1935. Cynthia graduated from Liberty High School and joined the Air Force upon graduation from nursing school. Cynthia rose to the rank of Lt. Colonel in the Air Force and served as an Air Evacuation Nurse in Vietnam and Director of Nursing at Howard AFB in Panama. She also assisted in the aftermath of the Reverend Jim Jones disaster. In retirement she continued providing nursing services at Maher AFB and the county of Sacramento. She loved her country, her hometown of Bethlehem, and her Irish heritage. While she lived throughout the world, she always spoke fondly of her days growing up in Bethlehem, and Bethlehem was always close to her heart. Bethlehem has been blessed with many Irish immigrants and their descendants contributing to our great city, and to those we are forever grateful. In the present day, Bethlehem hosts the Celtic Cultural Alliance – an Educational non-profit organization that hosts the Annual Celtic Classic Festival and many other Celtic Cultural events throughout the year. The resurgence of Celtic Culture in the Valley through organizations like the Ancient Order of Hibernians, Irish Dance Schools, and Scottish Pipe Bands made it a natural place to start one of the major Celtic Festivals in North America, Celtic-Classic bringing almost 300,000 people annually to Bethlehem. I wish to thank Joe McCarthy of Holy Infancy Parish and my good friend Timothy Briody, descendant of Patrick Briody, for their invaluable contribution to this history of Irish-Americans in Bethlehem, and a special thanks to my cousin Cynthia Bonner for her selfless contributions in serving our country. May the road rise to meet you as Irish Americans pay homage to their patron Saint, Patrick, this Thursday, March 17, 2022. Ms. Kwiatek stated she wanted to also congratulate Chief Achey on his 30th anniversary with the city and thank him for his service. Ms. Kwiatek has known Mr. Vidoni maybe longer than some of you because we worked on a project together with Mayor Reynolds, with the communication survey and that was part of the Bethlehem 2017 and he was great and helped us get that project over the finish line. So she knew what she was getting into when taking this position and how valuable he would be and how great he would be to work with. It is disappointing to not have a longer stretch of time together, but she wishes Mr. Vidoni the best. Irish Flag Raising/City Clerk Mayor Reynolds remarked that we will be doing our Irish flag raising this Thursday, March 17, 2022 at 1:00 pm. He also wanted to follow up on Dr. Van Wirt’s comments before which we appreciated. He has learned how long it takes to get anything done. It starts with an idea, then the bidding, and then writing the bids, and putting them out for bid and trying to locate the funds and the contract execution and then there is the implementation. We are all passionate about issues but progress is a grind. One of the things we are fortunate about is that in every level of this building we have professionals doing that grinding out work every single day. Bethlehem City Council Meeting 18 March 15, 2022 Council is a huge part of that. We appreciate your comments. A big part of when decisions are made about where funds are to go come out of what comes up at City Council Meetings and what comes up in conversations between City Council Members and Members of the Administration. Mayor Reynolds wanted to add his own comments on Mr. Vidoni who is the most popular Member of the Administration already. He believes that Mr. Vidoni joined the Clerk’s Office in 2015 and he knows that personally when he was President of City Council Mr. Vidoni was the guy to go to for research projects and understanding how City Council works, what is possible and what is not possible and the rules. He would use the term a master of the procedures of City Council and was just a great resource for when he was President of Council and in the office. He was somebody that would know the deadlines of the legal requirements, what would happen if you decide to take action in different ways and lay out all the different options. That is difficult work to do because you have seven Members of Council who also have different full time jobs with different schedules and are only available to talk at certain times. Sometimes you would call Mr. Vidoni and he would have to talk to a different member who was not free from their job until say 3:00 and call another member at 4:30 and get back to you the next day. In between you would get emails saying he has to talk to other members and that is an easy job to get on the wrong side of elected officials and Mr. Vidoni never did that. Mayor Reynolds stated that is a testament to his passion, hard work and professionalism. Personally he was always an ally and resource as far as what was possible when he was on City Council. So City Council will miss him but as was mentioned before he is moving to a position related to housing so we will be seeing a lot of Mr. Vidoni and everyone will have a lot of opportunities to meet with Mr. Vidoni and talk about all the different things we are doing with affordable housing and homelessness and CDBG and other things. Congratulations. Mr. Vidoni commented that most have not heard him editorialize or heard a soliloquy from him; smart staffers keep those things to a minimum. He is excited to be moving into the Administration and to help the Mayor and Community and Economic Development and keep the city moving forward. It is also a bittersweet moment because he absolutely loved working with the people sitting up at this table. The amount of time that these Council Members spend on Council activities, meeting with residents, meeting with organizations, getting flak on Social Media and helping people solve their problems, really very few people see that. He noted that is a unique perspective that he has. He sees them do that every day. If they were being paid by the hour, the rate might be so low as to be illegal. Even though they have other jobs, they pour their heart and soul into this. That is why he loves to work at City Hall. He spent years in law firms where people are falling over one another to brag about their cars and their houses and their vacations, but you never hear that here. People are here to serve the people of Bethlehem. It is not just the people on Council, it is the people sitting over in the Administration section, and they are doing this not to make money but to help people in the city. It has been a refreshing thing to see. Mr. Vidoni is going to miss working directly with the Council Members. He will be moving into what may be an uncomfortable hot seat at different points; it will be a different perspective. He is very excited to go over there; this has been an absolute honor and privilege to work with all of you. Mr. Vidoni stated he also wanted to thank Judy Kelechava, the Assistant City Clerk, he absolutely could not have done this job without her; she is an amazing asset. He thanked President Colón for all his understanding and assistance and guidance in this job. Thank you. 12. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 8:31 pm. Bethlehem City Council Meeting 19 March 15, 2022 ATTEST: Judy R. Kelechava Assistant City Clerk