Um there's one empty outlet there.

I'll try to plug in for you.

We're we are referring.

There you go.

Once again, the agenda.

You good?

Good evening, everybody.

Thank you for your patience.

I ask that we all rise for the pledge to the flag.

Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

And to the Republic for which it stands.

One nation under God.

Indivisible Liberty Justice for all.

Thank you, everybody.

Mr.

Miller, please call the role.

Mr.

Callahan.

Present.

Ms.

Gramsci Smith.

Present.

Present.

Ms.

Laird.

Present.

Ms.

Leon.

Ms.

Wilhelm.

Present.

And Mr.

Cologne.

Present.

Thank you, Mr.

Miller.

Before we get started tonight with our typical city business, we do have a couple citations.

First, we have two honoring recent city retirees.

The first is police captain Michael Leeser.

I don't believe the captain is here.

And we also have another citation honoring assistant chief Anthony Prielitz for the fire department.

I also don't believe he's here.

So then we'll move on and we'll make sure that both those retirees get their citations in the mail.

We also have a citation honoring our Lehigh Little League 9 and 10 All-Stars.

Yeah.

Woo.

So I will ask if somebody from the team wants to come up to the lectern, uh, a coach or parent or player.

Come on up, buddy.

Go ahead.

So just know you're representing the team tonight.

You can go right over to the microphone.

And then if the so then I'm gonna I'm just gonna acknowledge everybody before I read the citation from the city.

I do just want to acknowledge the entire team because those those who are unaware in in Little League Baseball, we're fortunate here in the Commonwealth, Williamsport hosts the Little League World Series, but the Little League World Series and William Sport is only for a certain age group of all stars for nine and 10, the team to my left over here, they went as far as that age group can go, and they won the USA East Regional Championship, which is the furthest you could go at that level.

And I believe it was a 13 state 12 more than 11 state championship.

So I do want to take a quick second before I recognize the team with the citation from council to just acknowledge each player, starting with Colin Kelly, John Shireman, Hale Beoder, Jack Mishko, Harrison Sir, RJ Rivera Jr.

Marcus Stewart, Noah Domitrovitz, all right, Hunter Raw, Pier Steiner, Ashton Kendi, and Levi Chaco, and then of course the the parents that helped out Kevin Kelly, PJ Yoder, Mario Stewart, and Tom Sir for helping out.

So I have a citation here, and there will be a copy for everyone with the team.

Whereas Lehigh Little League 910 All-Stars from the City of Bethlehem and its vicinity has won the highest title for its age group in Little League Baseball.

And whereas these young student athletes had to win district, section, state, and mid-Atlantic titles in the process.

And whereas this dedicated team fought hard to bring a USA East Regional Championship to the citizens of Bethlehem.

Now, therefore, be it resolved by the council of the city of Bethlehem that the Lehigh Little League 910 All-Stars be extended the gratitude of a city that has the distinction of having the 2025 Little League USA East Regional Championship team.

And be it further resolved that the entire All-Star team, the head coach, all coaches, and everyone involved are congratulated on winning the USA East Regional Championship in Cranston, Rhode Island on Saturday, August 9th, 2025.

And that's signed by all members of council.

Thank you.

So to the player at the microphone, where are you going?

Do you mind stating your name for the record?

Me?

Yeah.

Ashton Kennedy.

Ashton.

And what do you want to say on behalf of your team tonight, Ashton?

Um thank you.

You're welcome, Ashton.

Here, I have this for your team, and please share with all your teammates.

Okay.

Thank you for coming out tonight, team.

Thank you to all the parents for coming out on a school night.

And uh, we really just appreciate and congratulations to every player, every parent, every coach.

And I know that's a lot of nights away from home and and on the road during the process.

So congratulations.

Thank you for coming out tonight.

We we are going to move on with our agenda tonight.

So if you guys want to um talk, I just ask that you do it out in the hallway as we continue on.

Coach Kevin and everybody wish you all the best and have a good academic year too, everybody.

Thank you.

Congrats, guys.

Thanks for coming.

Two years we hear from you in uh weird.

Is that what it is?

Two years ago.

Great job.

So next year they can't.

Congratulations.

Good job, congratulations.

Well done.

Congratulations.

Thank you very much.

Great job.

Congratulations.

Thanks.

Great job.

Congrats.

Good job.

Congratulations.

Great run.

1112.

Great run.

Thanks.

Congratulations.

So what I'm hearing is in eight years, Liberty's gonna be competing for another state title then.

In a couple of years, we have someone at Williamsburg.

Let's hope.

Let's hope.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

All right.

All right, thanks.

See you, Mr.

Kelly.

Moving on to the approval of minutes for our September 2nd, 2025 meeting.

Any comments on the minutes from September 2nd.

Minutes stand approved.

Moving on to public comment.

So, as is custom, our first public comment is for any subject not being voted on this evening.

Would you have a five-minute time limit for each speaker?

For anyone following along at home on YouTube, if you want to watch in real time, you can scroll ahead to the live portion of the meeting.

We have five speakers signed up.

I'll start with our first speaker, Peg Church.

Good evening.

Peg Church, 435 Brighton Street, Bethlehem.

Is it 18015?

And council, I thank you for your time tonight.

Um, I'm here to support to some Mark Riddle and his concerns and some concerns we have in Bethlehem about the situation.

And as we know, winter is coming.

So there is a uh time frame here for plans to be made.

I want to mention that I do my husband and I do some volunteer work at the emergency shelter, and I don't do this for accolades for anyone, but I've been incredibly um heartened by the way they're so grateful.

The people that come there for anything that is done for them.

And I didn't quite expect that when I first came to do some volunteer work.

Um I I'm from Arlington, Virginia.

I've lived here since 1970 in the Lehigh Valley, and I'm near the Hill to Hill Bridge, and I'm very familiar with North Norfolk Southern because uh they are a constant in my life.

Uh, right outside there, they do have a right to uh keep everyone safe in their business, but I think the city has to stand up and do I guess you're working on it now, and that's good.

One of the thoughts that I heard about was that in Harrisburg, there's perhaps a very good model.

I think it's fresh off the ground where they have tents and so forth, where and plans where people are kept safe, and it seems like there's reasonable safety and health uh matters that can be handled there.

And I'm just wondering if perhaps that is a hoping that's seriously being considered by the city.

And you know, over time, more complicated setups may be involved.

Um also, as I mentioned, coming from Arlington, and since we had this crowd tonight, I want to mention that I was on the uh Conklin Florist championship team two years in a row, county champions.

Yeah.

Um and uh Wellington was also noticed because the public schools were the first public schools to have um physical education for elementary school students.

And the reason I mentioned that is I come to this area.

Elementary school kids got the physical education, but then they seem the city seems to have this fabulous golf course.

And I thought, oh, okay.

And then the steel club and these other places have all the golf galore.

Um, then there's a driving range over on Ellix Mill.

Nice, quiet, reserved area near all kinds of facilities.

Maybe a good tenting ground, such as Harrisburg has interfere, people won't be tripping over people on the sidewalk that are homeless, and it will be relatively safe, relatively um possible to monitor what is going on while giving people some privacy both on the site and maybe people that don't want to be too close to such a situation, but still still have some accessibility to um and proper monitoring.

So I throw that out as an idea, but I think that um you know there's kind of a timeline here, and please consider that.

And I'm not sure if you have time to have any reactions, using up some of my 46 seconds left on uh that.

Um, I also see that Norfolk Southern has come out, reached out, and they've told you what they would like, and they certainly are within their rights to have a safe their ground safe.

But I also mentioned that I've been here a few times a few years ago saying, please, please, please have set up a meeting with Norfolk Southern so that maybe we can have a quiet zone, but and the city would have to request it from Norfolk.

That was never a priority, never got any responses on that.

But maybe this is a chance since Norfolk Southern is coming to you.

Maybe you could kill two birds with one stone, and I thank you.

Thank you, Ms.

Church.

Our next speaker signed up is Sean Kernan.

Hello, city council.

Um, my name is Sean Kernan.

Um I live at 414 West Market Street in West Bethlehem.

I've been a resident of Bethlehem for the last 10 years, um, actually 10 years in November.

Um, proudly a resident of Bethlehem and I'm originally from Ohio.

Um I just wanted to state that um I'm an active member of the community.

I am an instructor at the Fab Lab at Northampton Community College.

Um I volunteer on the Southside Arts District Design Committee.

Um I'm a business owner.

I have an engineering consulting company, and I'm also trying to launch a toy company for kids' toys, um, and a local artist.

That's just to give some context.

Um when I go from my home in West Bethlehem to the Fab Lab where I spend a lot of time making things, teaching classes and engaging with the community, I go past a bus stop that is at the corner, sort of on the on-ramp of second and new.

Um it wasn't always a bus stop, and then it became a bus stop at some point in the time in the last I don't know, five years or so.

Um, but every time I drive past there, um, there are people sitting on the curb or the guardrail, and there's no place to sit.

Um sometimes I drive past, sometimes I walk past, sometimes I bike ride past, and almost all the time there are people waiting on the bus, either heading, I think it's for the EBS bus line, either heading east or west.

Um it's a I know it's a dangerous intersection at large, and perhaps there have been conversations about this intersection and conversation.

But I believe that in this particular area, um, there should be a place for people to sit down.

And for all bus stops, there should be a place for sit down people to sit down, especially when it's being used by so many people.

Or so it seems to me.

I haven't looked at every bus stop in town.

I don't know what the standard is, but in the places that I've been and lived in other places, um, bus stops have benches.

And in fact, today, you know, there were probably seven or eight people.

Um, one of whom was a pregnant mother waiting on the bus with no place to sit.

Um being forced to stand.

Um I think Lanta or the city should seriously consider finding some kind of solution for that bus stop and maybe others.

Um I know that there are some very serious and complicated issues facing the city right now.

Um, and this is maybe a small thing, but there's probably going to be a larger conversation later on in this meeting.

And I'm not convinced this bus stop and this bench problem isn't related to the bigger topic that's going to be discussed today.

Um in the midst of all of these very complicated issues facing the city.

Um, I encourage all of you and I appreciate all of the work that all of you are doing and serving the public and and doing your duty um as Americans and as Bethlehem residents.

Um and I implore you to exercise um courage and compassion as you continue to um fulfill your obligations as city council people and people that work for the city of Bethlehem, a place that I call home, and I am very proud to call home.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak, and um you'll probably hearing be hearing from me again at some point in the future.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Our next speaker tonight, Mr.

Spagnola.

Uh Anthony Spagnola, uh, my own uh Soto Sane, 10 West 4th Street, Bethlehem PA, also a Daggio 530 Pembroke Road.

Uh, my concern in tonight is there's 150,000 that is dedicated to the downtown businesses.

I just want to make sure it's not we've been waiting three years, and I just want to make sure it's not reallocated to uh anything else other than the downtown businesses, and just for uh a point of reference, the uh there's a business privilege tax when you open up a business and in Bethlehem, there are approximately 5,000 business privilege licenses.

So on that the average fee is a thousand dollars.

So not fee, but like what you take in a year, you're gross, you're net, but we just average them all out.

That would be like five million dollars.

So I think that the you know the businesses have earned that right to you know keep that money within themselves.

Um, I understand all of us as business owners.

We must create an environment that's conducive for welcoming people who come in and partake in our livelihood, and we will you know reciprocate, we give dually amounts back, just like for this um the the uh baseball team.

I mean, I will toot my own horn, I sponsored them, so it's probably why they won.

No, but yes, uh yeah, you know, we sponsor them local and just keep the money, you know, within house.

And uh that that's that's uh just my point.

And I, you know, I always thank Miss Collins, Laura Collins, and um you know, to keep me abreast, and I understand like we're we're on 10 West 4th Street is Fred Um P.

Rooney, he's my landlord, and you know, we're always in conjunction with the city, and just you know, one always what's best for everyone.

I'm a Moravian graduate, so I get it.

They're the second university school that's in the um United Nations environmental science, and it's great.

Like if I saw President Griggsby was here, definitely they have enough money and funds, not as much as Lehigh, but just to put it in perspective, uh, a million dollars right in seconds is 11 days.

So if you have 180 million dollars in your endowment, and again, I donate to Moravian.

Unfortunately, the football team lost 50 to zero.

But you know, you you keep your chin up, you keep striving forward, and again, right?

Just you know, and uh an injustice for one is an injustice for all, a little Martin Luther King.

So let's just uh you know, stay focused, keep the money within the business and the businesses, and we need it, you know.

We're down, I would say collectively about 20% with the uh parking as well as uh all the other in the city, the UGI, and it's great.

You're reinvesting in the city, you shine the star, you make a new route.

Unbelievable, but please let's just keep it uh that money, keep it allocated for the downtown businesses, and just so everyone knows here, it's it's been there for three years.

So, and and I and I duly think we we've earned it, and uh appreciate everybody.

Thank you.

That's all.

Thank you, Mr.

Spagnola.

Our next speaker, Artie Kurtola.

Hi, my name's this thing on it's it's working, Mr.

My name's Artie Curtola, 813 Lawford Street, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Um, been a resident for quite a number of years.

Uh you could take what I have to say, build on it, or throw it away.

But let me say for the record, in view of a young man's life cut short at the age of 31 for exercising his Fourth Amendment rights of freedom of speech.

I it's un you know, there's no words for it.

Whatever your beliefs in our United States of America, we're supposed to be for equality, no matter of race, color, or creed.

There's no reason to kill any living being, human or four-legged being, unless the creatures attempting to kill you or another.

All people should pass through metal detectors at all gatherings.

The only ones permitted to carry weapons of any kind should be well known and respected, men or women of law enforcement, or of the community.

This also needs to be the law in the sacred city of Palestine and the Gaza Strip.

As I suggested when I was interviewed by Nanu Tong and Sandy Wang at a United Nations event in New York City around two years ago.

I stated that the United Nations needs to place that law into control, all metal detectors at every gathering.

They need to take control and see that it's enforced in the sacred city of Palestine and the Gaza Strip, as well as for the United States for which we stand.

Thank you, Mr.

Kurtola.

That exhausts our list of who had signed up in advance.

So I'll go around the room.

Again, we're on anything not being voted on this evening.

So anyone can give comment on anything not on the agenda.

I'll start to the left.

Is there anyone who wants to make a comment on anything not being voted on tonight?

I'll turn to the wide center.

Is there anyone who wants to make a comment?

I'll start with Mr.

Shire.

Bill Shire, 1898 Avenue.

Since everybody's saying tonight how long they lived in Bethlehem, so I'll say I lived the first 18 years of my life here in the last 22 years.

So that's a total of 40 years.

The question is who pays for the tariffs.

Now there's a case where just an article in the Wall Street Journal, Whirlpool is complaining that uh some of their parts that they import, the exporters are eating the cost of the tariff by reducing the price of their gadgets.

But generally speaking, uh they pass it on.

And it goes to wholesale wholesalers and retailers, and finally to the consumer.

And at each step of the way, maybe they eat a little bit of it, but uh generally it gets passed on.

And some things don't go right away to consumers.

They're what economists call intermediate goods because they go to say a factory that uses that to make something that goes to the computers.

But again, most of it gets passed on.

So that's us to consumers.

And the money goes into the US Treasury.

And it's now over a billion dollars a month.

And so it's not insignificant and it's increasing.

So what is this money used for?

Well, it's to defray part of the cost of the tax cuts.

Also, as you know, the budget has been hammered here, there, and everywhere.

The weather bureau doesn't need so many people anymore.

Uh FEMA doesn't need as much money.

It goes on and on and on and on.

Almost everywhere you look in the federal government now.

Cut, cut, cut, cut, cut.

Oh, we got to pay for the tax cuts.

Well, it's only a small part of the tax cuts.

The deficit in the current year is going to be one trillion dollars.

A group called Oxfam America, which seems to be a reputable group.

In fact, they have a report out, which you can get online about this and re inequality and related questions, has stated that since 2001.

The tax cuts for the wealthy 1% have amounted to over the 25 years to 10 trillion dollars.

Current national debt is 37 trillion dollars.

So tax cuts for the 1% account for 27% of their current national debt.

This is why Jimmy Carter years ago said we're living in an oligarchy, especially since Citizens United, where the wealthy people are in control, and they are right now, without a doubt.

And I am reminded of the Roman Empire, which is one of my historical interests.

So save that for the future.

Um until Julius Caesar, and then they had emperors.

And gradually, more and more inequality.

And it was harder and harder to recruit people into the army as a result.

So they paid the barbarians to guard the borders.

This is something that's not widely known.

And the barbarians after a while said, well, we can settle for what they're giving us.

Why don't we just take it off?

So that's what they did.

Thank you.

And parallels are interesting to me between the Roman Empire and the United States of America.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Shire.

Was there anyone else in the wide center who wants to make comment?

Ms.

Noonan.

Hello.

Um, Valerie Noonan.

Uh I actually did a lot of preparation for this meeting, but I don't have everything I wanted to say written out because there's frankly too much information.

Um I'm here to comment again right regarding the uh um eviction of the encampments along the canal.

Um I've done a lot of reviewing past council meetings, research, looking at the strategic plan tent homelessness, and um a few hours ago I had a conversation on the phone with Ms.

Satulo.

So what one thing that stuck out to me is that it's really not clear what is actually happening with what parcels are being evicted and who is evicting people.

Because this was originally a matter of Norfolk Southern.

But we had an organizer go down on September 10th, the day the signs were to be posted.

And he looked around, he talked to people, and the information that he found was a little bit different.

As well.

But also he talked to a police captain who said they were putting signs on everything and that it was going to be the whole canal being swept, including city parcels.

Now that is interesting because in the conversation I had with Miss Satullah today, she said that city parcels are not included.

So we have someone in the Bethlehem police department who is giving me different information that I'm getting from a city employee.

So I don't see Chief Cott here today.

I don't know if there's someone from the police department here.

But there would this was where is she?

Oh, hi Chief.

So I don't know if you heard what I just said, but there was a Captain Odalo.

Um I'm not sure if I'm saying that right.

It was A U D E L O who is down there on the 10th and said to uh our fellow organizer, yeah, we're clearing everything, including city parcels.

But Ms.

Satulo from the city said city parcels are not included.

It's just UGI Penn Dot and Norfolk Southern.

Um I'd really like to clear that up.

Um really like I had the conversation where I did learn that UGI and Penta only threw their hat into the ring on the 9th.

So I guess nobody had notice about that.

Um, like the whole situation, it's really quite complicated.

And I just find it frustrating that the city seems to really want to pass the buck on this.

I in the sense that there are a lot of city workers who have are doing great work and they've done great work for years, and they are continuing to try it and make solutions for problems that they didn't cause, right?

Um, so I'm not talking about like community and economic development or anything, but um like there's this kind of attitude of because we're not personally posting the signs that we're not a part of this eviction, and it's just not true.

I know that I was told specifically that apparently Norfolk Southern police went and posted the signs for themselves, but they were accompanied by Bethlehem police.

And I'm I'm I have to wonder like, aren't they police?

Do they need someone protecting them?

They're police, right?

Um again, there's too much for me to say in five minutes here.

Um, but I I would really like us to continue working on solutions, particularly for people who are planning to continue camping for whatever reason that is, because we know they're not going to the shelters.

Thank you.

Thank you, Ms.

Noonan.

Was there anybody else in the wide center who wants to make comment?

I'll start in the front row, sir in the gray.

And then Mr.

Faber.

Saw you.

Hey, everybody.

Thanks for uh thanks for having us.

Thanks for doing what you do.

My name is Sam Masoto.

I am a resident of Bethlehem for 10 years.

Uh 814 High Street 10818018, but I own a business uh in the 18015 on the corner of Taylor and Mechanic.

Um, I've discovered that my tactics over the last few years, forgive me, I haven't been here in about 10 years.

I used to come far more often.

Um for creating awareness were not necessarily the uh the best way to do it.

I wasn't planning on speaking tonight, but I would like to propose either um more police presence or a traffic camera eventually on the corner there at Taylor and Mechanic.

I have gone through channels, including Southside Arts District um speaking before city council, you know, years ago, and um in hopes that there would be more safety, public safety awareness on the one-way streets specifically.

Um I'm an active runner, I run every day.

I'm an active bike uh cyclist, I cycle nearly every day all four seasons, and I can tell you that I've encountered some very dangerous situations.

Um I've noticed other people encounter these situations.

And if the answer is to look at the accident report or to um review some um police reports, as we all know, um the police are not always called.

Um I myself have been in traffic uh in uh in in uh incidents that the police were not called, whether I was uh side, you know, in a vehicle or uh hit on a bicycle, and that's just the fact.

So I feel that when it's too late, it's too late.

I would like to bring this to your you know, your awareness.

Um, I feel like the corner of Taylor and Mechanic is a great car uh corner to monitor, you know, whether again it were from um cameras or from police car, you know, bus squad uh police presence.

Um I feel like the police of the city do a great job, and we've always played nice.

And uh I know that in the beginning of my businesses, uh the business is called Bond Place Brewing 310 Taylor Street.

In the beginning, I did see a lot more activity over there, and I do feel like those one-way streets and those stop signs were respected, um, at least from what I could see.

Um, I'm in that building more than I'm anywhere else, so I do see a lot more than most people would see.

And I just want to bring that to your attention and have it formally on the record.

Thanks for your time.

Thank you, sir.

Mr.

Faber.

Hello, Harry Faber.

Uh, since everybody else was being um personal, telling the personal history, I figured I'd join in.

Uh my father worked at the Bethlehem Steel for the majority of his life until it closed.

Uh, my mom's side of the family all pretty much worked at Jeff's Bourne, and they're all in their my parents are in their 70s, my dad's 75, my mom is 71.

Um, so Bethlehem, as I've said, my whole history here is my home.

I went to Moravian.

I also used to attend um Advent Moravian Church.

And my whole childhood, um, every winter I would feed the homeless at Advent.

And so when it comes to issues of homeless or unhoused people, um it hits home.

Uh, I actually left the church because throughout my I actually heard this story recently.

Um at a family dinner, my mom had to tell my partner Katie that um I I'd always got really close with the homeless people.

I'm a very personable, I talk a lot.

Um the one year I it was the last meeting or the last um the last time we were feeding the homeless, and I had told one of the people I would talk with the whole winter that I hope to see you next year.

Not something you say to a person that doesn't really um have a home.

And um I stopped going because then Advent redid the whole area where we would do the do the feeding, and they would stay there overnight, and then all of a sudden it was too nice for them.

And we were like, oh, we can't really we can't really bring these people in here, you know, that the smell or the dirtiness, there was a very classist um reasoning, justification as to why we no longer can feed the homeless, and then I after that I kind of stopped going to church.

Um that is all to say that when it comes to this in particular, the city of Bethlehem has maintained the position that we don't enforce sweeps, and winter is coming, as the first speaker said, and so for an enforcing of a sweep in a time like this with nowhere to go, is truly um uncaring to say the least.

And with what to address kind of what Artie said in the terms of political violence, I would argue that in and of itself is also a form of political violence.

I would say that all this systemic injustice and inequality to address what my comrade behind me had talked about earlier, is also uh political violence.

I mean, in a system in a society where we have such abundance that we would rather throw away and waste rather than give to those who are in need, or to even create a system in which such tragedies and such suffering is uh occurring.

I mean, it's it's just wild, it's really wild to me, and I think that even if Norfolk Southern claims they we need this, we need these people removed, or if it's the city's position, or whoever's claiming that they need it.

I mean, it's still up to the city in a sense to enforce it, and so what's gonna happen?

You're gonna have police come down and say you guys need to move.

If they don't move, what you're gonna charge them with trespassing, and now you're gonna put people in an even worse condition and in a place of whether it's um Northampton County or they go upstate, now they're in a private prison being forced to be slave labor, um, all because they were poor, impoverished, they didn't have a house.

And when you really look at that whole from that bigger lens, it's it's so clear that the ruling class, whether it's the political pundits or the people in this room who have power, or the extreme ultra wealthy who just benefit off of this insanely corrupt and crooked system, aren't doing enough and are enabling perpetuating profiting off of this violence.

It's it's hard to put to words, and I just really I really hope that y'all will listen to people like Valerie, who have really done their homework and put their put their um hearts and their minds into researching and gathering people to come here and talk out about this, especially when it's so easy to just walk on by gather to say no one up front has ever been homeless.

If I wasn't for my 70-year-old parents, I'd probably be homeless.

I can't afford to live.

So I really hope that you guys can find it in your hearts to do something and not enforce this sweep because it's truly disgusting.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Favor.

Was there anyone else in the wide center who would make comments, Mr.

Antalyx?

Stephen and Talek's 737 Ridge.

I came tonight, not planned to say anything, but I've been provoked.

Last meeting, I stated that homelessness, rather housing problem in Bethlehem was created by the city through the needs of Lehigh University and Bethlehem Steele, which decimated the south side, but tonight discrimination is also a gift of the city from its origins.

The city of Bethlehem should not exist as such.

Of two boroughs, most unholy the area and the Lehigh River became the social iron curtain.

For North Bethlehem at one point did not allow anyone who didn't belong to the church owned property.

And that created again an intellectual iron curtain between the two sides, the North side being educated and fluent in English, who later call themselves Native Americans and the South Side groups of inhabitants who can speak to one another because of their lot language problems, and that was exhibited by the number of churches on the south side, four churches within one walk of each other, all of the same religion, but different ethnic history.

So there's no cohesion on the South side.

And people on the South side felt uneasy crossing that river.

So that's the origins of the city.

Philadelphia calls itself the city of Brotherly Love and Butling to try and use that.

It's almost criminal.

So a lot of people don't aren't aware of this, but many of the ills that exist today were created in and by the city.

So the people spoke behind me asking for assistance, should be every ounce of possibility for that assistance.

For one simple reason to make up for the sins of the past.

And if they were to confess those sins, they'd probably spend one year in a confession box.

And spend a year residing on Hail Mary to get remission.

So just think about that.

Thank you, Mr.

Antalix.

Was there anyone else in the wide center who wants to make comment?

Turn to the right.

Was there anyone to the right who wants to make comment this evening?

Yes.

You're welcome.

Use either that mic there or this one here, which are you choosing.

Thank you.

Oh, my watch just said you're welcome to me.

Um always listening.

Yeah, unfortunately, so I just lost my notes here.

I was not planning on speaking today.

My name is uh Lucas.

Um, but I would like to say a few words.

Um, my life is intrinsically connected to Bethlehem.

My grandfather also still retains a pension from working most of his life at the steel.

Um, my grandfather and two brothers were born in Fountain Hill.

Um I'm a graduate with a degree from Northampton Community College.

Um I do believe that systems are what is creating and sustaining the problem that we have discussed mostly this evening.

I do believe that this council, as well as the council of Easton and Allentown, are in charge of systems and have the ability to make change.

I would be more willing to blame the individual and their lack of bootstrap pulling if we lived in a society that had systems in place to care for our neighbors.

I am personally experiencing housing instability right now, and there is a chance that I will be houseless in the next two weeks of my life.

I do not have as an outgay man a ability to rely back on a wealthy family or any type of wealthy benefactor to keep me off the streets.

There is a chance I will lose the two most precious beings in my life, which are my cats.

I am in a single individual who works full-time in this valley uh with no dependence.

I believe in having hope and meditating on hope and the potential for a hopeful future, but simply put, only partaking in prayer is a passive way to avoid action, and I crave more action from the valley that I call the greatest place in this country and the greatest place in this state, only followed up by Philadelphia.

Um I truly think that action is what is called upon from both the universe and our creator right now.

Um, and I think that that action is calling us to protect and steward life on this planet, and I think that the humanity of people can be so easily written off by saying that they come from an outside place and therefore do not deserve the neighborly treatment that we have the opportunity to give them.

Um, and I do think that it is high time that we see the disadvantages that prioritizing business as a first puts the residents who have called this lovely valley and this lovely city their home for their entire lives.

Um, so I really appreciate you uh allowing me a moment or two.

I will yield the rest of my time, but I did want to speak to the humanity of the situation that we're dealing with.

Um, as I am someone who you may have to clear out of that area in the next few months.

So thank you very much.

Thank you, Lucas.

Was there anyone else to my right who wants to make comment this evening?

Yes, in the center.

Mike, it's better.

Uh I'll leave it up to I mean, the person can, but as I had communicated to Mr.

Caratola a couple weeks ago, either Mike is gonna pick up the the audio.

Understood, Mr.

Intellix.

My words, I understand.

Please.

Um, hi, my name is Nori.

Uh, thank you for hearing me out.

Um, I just want to second that um as the previous person spoke.

I'm a person who's also experienced um housing instability.

I have lived in uh Easton Bethlehem Allen town, and I've had to rely on the kindness of people to let me stay with them, which um I'm very grateful for.

So I can't speak fully on behalf of people who are fully you know outdoors, but I have come close to that being my personal experience, and I've only been able to avoid it, like I said, due to the kindness of friends and community.

So when I heard about these potential sweeps, um, I'm have to say I don't know all the details.

It sounds confusing.

It sounds like um there's been some information that others have collected that has been contradictory.

But I just want to ask that the humanity of the people that are there is considered.

Um, it sounds like it previously Bethlehem as a city has um stated it that you know the parcels that belong to the city people can be there.

Um, but now it sounds like that's not you know, that's changing due to some of the businesses, such as Norfolk wanting to evict people.

And um this is just like heartbreaking for me to hear about.

Um, as uh previous person who spoke said, you know, winter is coming, the weather is going to be changing.

People who are in this situation don't usually have a lot of time to figure out where to go.

Um, resources in the area are not very adequate when it comes to shelters and things like that.

Um yeah, I just basically want to say that I hope that the time can at the very least be extended, that people who are having to live outdoors right now can have in in Bethlehem can have more time to figure out what to do, and ideally would have a stable place where they can um be uh in a more long-term situation.

Um, the other per person who spoke brought up uh Harrisburg has a great model that they've implemented to give people some stability.

Um but yeah, that's that's all I have to say.

I appreciate everyone for hearing me out.

Thank you.

Was there anyone else to my right who wants to make comment?

Hasn't had a chance.

Or anyone in the room I missed before I move on.

All right, thank you, everybody.

We're gonna move on to our second public comment.

So this is for any ordinance or resolution that's up for vote tonight.

We didn't have anyone sign up in advance.

So again, I'll go around the room.

Is there anyone to the left who wants to make comment on anything we're voting on this evening?

Nope.

Yes, and this with their hand up.

Hi, I think I read the agenda correctly.

It's a little confusing, but there was some stuff on there for new business.

Um, I know I'm sorry to continue to talk here off.

It sounds probably like a bit of like a broken record at this point, but I wanted to applaud you guys and uh your support staff for continuing to push for grants.

There's a couple grants for Bethlehem Emergency Service shelters that are on the agenda for tonight.

Um, I know that we have a lot of projects in a lot of flux um that we're that we're trying to juggle both beautifying, making sure everything's walkable and that we're addressing everything.

Um, so I want to applaud your support staff for continuing to do that and uh give my support to uh you guys searching for more funding for all of this because as we know, um we have to come up with the money from this for somewhere.

Um, thank you uh for uh continue to be uh transparent in giving us information um so far as the additional projects that you're doing, whether it's the refurb of the Bethlehem emergency shelter um or expanding services.

Um thank you for trying to to do at least the public services side of it.

I know that we don't always see eye to eye when it comes to enforcement, but um uh I I appreciate that uh you guys are willing um to continue to be transparent with what's going on.

Um thanks.

Thank you.

Was there anyone else to the left who wants to make a comment on anything we're voting on this evening?

Anyone in the center who wants to make comment on anything up for vote?

And I'll conclude to my right.

Thank you, everybody.

So that concludes our second public comment.

Moving on to old business, any old business for members of council.

I I think this counts as old business, if you don't mind.

Go ahead.

Um, Chief Codd, I just uh if you want to take the mic.

Um so I appreciated that you did uh send us uh some information um regarding um a comment that someone had brought up at the last meeting uh about um what is the name of the company?

Flock uh about the the um license plate reader camera system and um just to catch people up here, um Chief Cott's uh initial response to us was um that no, actually our information does not, our data is not sold or shared with any third party uh, you know, by flock that we keep it in the city.

And so I did ask her follow-up questions about it, and you explained um that it's actually in our contract, it's very specific.

Can you just give folks a little bit of what you shared with me?

Yes, just that the third parties do not have any access to our data.

Our data is owned exclusively by the city of Bethlehem.

We also restrict who has access to it in regard to other law enforcement agencies, and that comes directly through my office.

Um, so I have my hands on that on on as to what other law enforcement agencies we're sharing with, and we are not sharing it with the Department of Homeland Security ICE.

Thank you, and or ERO.

Like all three of those, which were uh ones that were brought up in some of the information that the commenter had shared had come from the ACLU.

So I just wanted to say I appreciated that.

Um, and that was all I had from you, uh, old old business.

Thank you.

Thank you, councilwoman.

Thank you, Chief.

Any other old business from members of council?

All right.

So we're gonna move on to new business.

Any new business from members of council?

I'll see.

I'll start with councilwoman Kramsey Smith.

Okay.

Um I'm not sure if any who from administration can answer this, but I know um naturally we uh the hot issue and pertinent issue right now is the encampments and what we're gonna do.

And I know that um that many people within the health bureau and uh TCD are trying to work on it.

But I guess I'm just wondering, I know that we it's a crisis situation and we have to do whatever we can, but um we've talked about this before, and I'm just gonna put it out there again.

Um is I guess I just am wondering why don't we take the developers of Martin Tower up on their offer that they would give us land to do affordable housing as well as give us money to do affordable housing if we give them the LERTA, because that way we could at least get the land.

Um and I see Mr.

Spagnolius here from the housing missions, and he has a an awesome program all over the world where he has um for the lack of a better word, I guess like tiny homes for people who are homeless, um, inexpensive.

But um, so I'm just thinking there's that's something that you know the developers already said they would do that.

I I just would implore the administration to sit down with those developers and try to get something going as soon as possible, because that could be one way that can we can really help to get these folks um into a place of their own and out of um you know the encampments, especially for the winter.

Thank you.

Thank you, Count.

Sir, I I'd appreciate if you didn't interrupt.

The uh I will say, like we did the last meeting.

I thought it was better just if we stay on this one topic before I give everyone else the floor about other new business individual members may have.

So if anyone else wants to comment or has questions related to um what councilwoman Cramsley Smith brought up as it relates to Norfolk Southern and the letter they sent, we could stay on that topic and then I'll go back around to other uh members of council.

So does anyone have anything else related to that?

Mr.

Callahan.

Well, Mr.

Callahan, I I wasn't on council when the when the uh when Mr.

Harrick and uh uh sent the letter about about the tower site, but um a lot of you know that uh I'm good friends with Mr.

Ronco, who's a uh minority owner of the uh property.

And uh I had after the last meeting, I had talked to him uh about you know, can someone send me the letter that was originally sent to council back then when I wasn't on it?

And uh I had after the last meeting, I had talked to him uh about you know, can someone send me the letter that was originally sent to council back then when I wasn't on it, and I I don't know why um we're not having a discussion with them right now because due to interest rates and the cost of supplies, they can't build anything over there right now, other than the Lehigh Valley uh hospital buildings that they did over there.

They can't do it, and they're not going to.

So that property is gonna sit there until interest rates come down, or the cost of building supplies come down because that they're not gonna lose money on it.

Uh they have a substantial amount of money uh invested in the property already for carrying it for all these years, knocking it down, uh asbestos abatement.

Mr.

Reynolds has said last time that um you know that they had received some market money.

Yes, they did, but that was for uh the um asbestos abatement and a couple other things, which is a small amount of money.

It's not even a fraction of the money that they have in the property.

So from what I was told, or what I read in the letter, is that they were offering land for affordable housing, and in lieu of fees for the um alerta, and so it's up to council now, I think, or the minute because administration's not moving on this.

We can have all these people come here all the time talking about affordable housing.

We aren't doing anything, nothing.

We have Miss Collins, you got a second?

She's not here.

She's not here.

It's right there.

We have oh it's here.

Sorry.

How much land do we have right now to for affordable housing?

Do we have any at all?

The city of Bethlehem does not own any land that we've identified for affordable housing.

We have done an evaluation of land that is zoned for residential currently in the city of Bethlehem, not owned by the city of Bethlehem, but that would be considered developable.

It's like less than two percent of the land in the entire city of Bethlehem.

Do you know how much acreage that land that you're talking about is?

Just developable land currently not owned by the city.

Yeah.

I mean, our total acreage is I actually don't know, maybe 2019 acres.

No, 25 acres.

I'm not sure.

I were you were you on uh in your position at the time when Mr.

Herrick had um presented that letter to you council?

I've been the director of the community economic development department since January of 2020.

Do you remember what the amount of money was?

I I don't.

I don't remember what the amount of I knew there was like I think council at that time had bumped it up the in lieu of fee up to like $52,000 a unit.

And at the time they were thinking about doing a thousand units.

Now they're they're they're not even they don't even want to even do a thousand units now.

I think right now they're gonna do it, uh they want to do when the the timing's right, 880 units.

That that's 1700 units that they don't want to even do.

So I I know that was if you're referring to the letter and what was true at that time, they were zoned for 1,085 units.

They wanted to build 1700 units, which were to require a zoning change after the zoning had been changed multiple times.

They don't want to do that anymore.

And uh they were also looking for alerta, and as I discussed the last time we talked about this for well over an hour, um, you know, we we don't we don't typically do one-off alertas, but you know, it is a large property, and I understand that, but you know, alerta is not just it's it's not free, it costs the taxpayers money.

It is a tax abatement program.

So they were looking for 1700 units and a tax abatement.

Right.

I think I think someone should maybe yourself or the mayor should reach out to the owners because at this point, uh, from what I understand, is they're not even looking to do a thousand units anymore.

They're down to uh under 900.

I don't quote me on it, but I think it's 880 units because for them to do the 1700 units, they would have had to build underground parking, and it was extremely expensive to do that, and it's not cost prohibitive.

So with the interest rates as high as they are, they're not building at all.

They're just gonna wait out until there's alerta or the interest rates and and uh um the uh products uh building supplies come down.

So I we sit here all the time, meeting after meeting after meeting after meeting after meeting, and we do nothing.

And when I read the letter, I was shocked that everybody on this council had met with the the owner, Mr.

Herrick.

He laid out exactly what he wanted to do, and I understood it at that time they were looking for 1700 units, but they're not anymore.

They're they're they're they're down under 900 right now.

That's it.

But they're not doing anything until uh the financial situation as far as interest rates, building supplies, and or alerta is addressed.

Um they would take, according to that memo at that time, it was gonna be like five to six million dollars that they were going to give to the city for the in lieu of and land for affordable housing.

I I can't understand why there's no discussion on the administrative level level with uh the owners on this.

Like why there's no, I mean you didn't even know that they they don't even want to even do a thousand units anymore, neither's the mayor.

So at some point I would hope so with Mr.

Anka two weeks ago.

So it's not that there's not discussion happening with the developers.

All right, so are you aware that they're not even looking to do 900 units now?

He did not mention that now.

All right, I I I would I would ask kindly that there's someone from the administration reaches out and see what kind of deal we can we we could possibly get if the land if if they don't if they're donating land for affordable housing and millions of dollars in lieu of now.

I don't know if that I don't know how many millions I from what I understood, and maybe someone on council who was on it at the time can can correct me, but it was like six seven million dollars if they got the 1700 units.

They obviously don't want to do the 1700 units anymore, it's under 900 now.

And so, how much money do they want to give us now?

I don't know.

I think it's I think it's the in lieu of amount, which we passed as an ordinance, right?

So I think it was 52.

Is it 52,000?

51.

Well, does there's nothing existing at Martin Towers?

No, I know right now, so I know, but all the other alert is there's two different formulas that are used if I'm remembering correctly, Miss Collins.

So it would be whatever whatever council set for that particular alert.

So my point is option we have we have two options.

Option A, we do nothing, and the land sits there.

They've already paid for the land, and they pay hardly any taxes on the empty land because there's no building on it.

So it sits there until there's an administration that's willing to help get the the project going.

Give them a tax break, right?

Right.

Well, well, because interest rates are high, it's not really affordable to build right now.

Uh so we either do nothing, or we try to get cooler heads together, and try to come up with a uh alerta, which is it's a huge piece of property, and what do we do?

What do we get if we get the alerta?

We get millions of dollars.

How many millions?

I don't know because it's only 880 units now, and we get land, and on top of that, we get 50 percent of the new value over a 10-year period.

We're getting zero money right now, so 50 percent of millions of dollars in development is better than zero percent of zero development.

Would you agree with that?

I agree with Mr.

Shire.

Well, depends on the cost.

There's no cost, we're getting zero money right now on that land.

There, there's no there's no revenue being tax revenue being generated other than the cost of the land.

If you put 300 million dollars of development on there, imagine the amount of school district taxes, city taxes, and county taxes.

50 percent of that huge amount of money is better than zero, because right now we get zero on it.

So I don't, you know, it's option A, we do nothing, or option B, we get land for affordable housing, we get money for affordable housing, and we get 50% of a huge tax amount of money.

You know, I I have been told to go through the same conversation I had two meetings ago about the entire history of this project.

Right, I know accounting of the state.

I'd appreciate if we didn't repeat the long conversation.

I'm just saying it's it's a very unique million dollars that they just used to build two medical office buildings.

Nine, yeah.

Was that the RCAP money?

Yeah, that was for so that's called smart business because that was for the uh remediation of the asbestos.

Why would you use money on nine million dollars on asbestos removal when it's the cheapest part of the labor part of it?

Do you understand what I'm saying?

The asbestos removal is not a really skilled position, and the amount of money to spend on that, they weren't getting the same amount of bang for their buck and and using it for the building, but those buildings are now generating huge amounts of tax revenue.

Right.

And they could also sell that property to Lehigh Valley Hospital.

And guess how much money the city school district and county gets?

Zero.

Because they're a nonprofit.

We got to think here.

And so some people aren't thinking because they could sell it to Lehigh Valley.

Someone's not so I don't understand why we have uh the we're doing nothing.

We get nothing.

Mr.

Callahan, I've heard that pointful times now.

I'm just asking you for the conversation, please.

So I I would hope that we do something instead of sitting here doing nothing.

That's my that's my comments.

Understood.

Thank you, Mr.

Callahan.

Anyone else as it relates to Norfolk Southern and similar circumstances?

Councilman Learn.

Um since you're up there, I'll start sure.

Sorry.

Uh not sorry.

I don't know why I said sorry.

Um, you know, I I'm aware uh that there's many options being discussed discussed with community partners and city staff and um about how to help people um who are being displaced.

Um does that include any options of setting up a city sanctioned tent or tiny home community anywhere.

So the there are conversations about safe camping sites, they're not confined to the city.

So, you know, we have been very active in the Lehigh Valley Regional Homelessness Advisory Board.

We have Ms.

Satula who sits on their governing body, but um Miss Wenrick and myself and Chrissa and others have been, you know, not only presenting to the governing body, but also meeting as part of their regular um, you know, larger um board conversation.

And just last week, like the topic of the conversation was safe camping sites, and there are service providers from all over the Lehigh Valley who are all saying the same thing.

Like this is a regional issue, it's not just a city of Bethlehem or City of Valentine or City of Eastern issue.

It's an issue that impacts suburbs, it impacts um, you know, more rural areas in our in our counties um in the Lehigh Valley.

And you know, there are examples of safe camping or safe parking sites that have worked or that are at least being explored in other areas in the state and elsewhere.

You know, there's a lot of conversations about you know what that would look like from a governance perspective, from a liability perspective, you know, what sites might be appropriate for that.

Um, I think you know, we have made ourselves available to be active participants in those conversations, but I think it's definitely a regional conversation and one where the most um potential does seem to be outside of the city of Bethlehem um proper.

I mean, if you look at between the 62 uh municipalities in the Lehigh Valley, I think the cities, Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton have about four and a half or five percent of the total land area.

Um, and so you know, it I think it's really important that we expand that conversation, but it is you know a conversation that we're participating in.

Okay, thank you.

So, not a city sanctioned, but perhaps a regional solution somewhere that could allow for that sort of thing.

Um, when we're looking at the notices that are currently posted or expected to be posted.

Um what property owners are currently seeking support in their enforcement of their private property rights.

So my understanding is that Norfolk Southern has posted there, and then there are two small slivers that are sort of within that general Norfolk Southern area that are owned by either UGI or or Pendat.

Okay, so those three so far, are there any other property owners in the area who like along that stretch who have come forward seeking support in not that I'm aware of?

Okay, and I'm not aware of other property owners along the stretch, but I could be okay.

I I remembered um perhaps uh it was a condo complex, somebody coming in to council once talking about some situation, like maybe a couple months ago, and I wasn't sure if they had been involved or no, I think there are condos along Lehigh Street where there are residents who have expressed concerns about okay, but they're not actually adjacent camping areas or yeah.

Um but there's nobody currently camping on their properties, as far as I can understand.

Um is it correct that our parks and recreation ordinance says that you are not allowed to camp on city property?

Yes.

And you know, we have previously and historically, for example, you know, if if somebody tries to set up a tent next to like Sand Island tennis courts or in the middle of Payroll Plaza, it has been our practice to enforce that particular ordinance in like those more visible public areas.

Okay.

That's and I wouldn't constitute that as a sweep.

I mean, that's just that has been our practice has and it is currently legislation that we're that it is.

It is an ordinance, yes.

Okay.

Um and but the no trespassing orders or eviction notices or whatever those are officially called are technically not about that property there about even though it is not allowed to be camp there.

Uh it is about the Norfolk Southern UGI and PPL properties.

Correct.

Okay.

Um then um the last question uh that I had was I I do recall um Councilman Callahan bringing his friend who owns the tiny house company uh along on his campaign.

Um and I I think that I spoke to him at our debate, actually.

Um so I'm wondering that company that wants to sell tiny homes or any other, can a private property owner or developer offer to allow those who need to camp on their property um, or you know, can they set up accessory dwelling units, perhaps like tiny homes throughout the city to invite um unhoused people onto their private property for housing?

So for example, so as with as with any development on any private property, there are certain existing laws that would impact if somebody could or could not could not build something.

So it would really depend on the circumstance, but obviously zoning would be a first place to look.

So it would it would be a question of you know, what zoning district are we talking about?

What is the size of the parcel?

You know, is is it a vacant parcel on which they're just gonna put a couple of different, you know, tiny homes?

Not that I think that there's parcels that are necessarily appropriate to to do that on or large enough or that that they exist.

But if if they did exist, I mean, those would be the kind of questions that you would ask.

Sure.

And I know we've talked about accessory dwelling units um in other contexts before.

Um, and it's you know, another popular uh debate topic, right?

But um it it boils down to the same type of structure housing people.

Um so you know, and I I wondered if there are people who are like, hey, I'd like to help.

Can I build a tiny home?

Um so they would have to go through zoning, is what you're saying.

Correct.

And if there were a developer, you know, I I'm saying Martin Tower site just because that is the one that was come up in question, who wanted to allow even the temporary use of their land at no cost to help the community.

Um they could do that as long as zoning allowed for tiny homes.

Zoning, yeah, you would have to look at it from a zoning perspective.

And if zoning didn't allow it, you could seek variances, you know, as an example.

If that were a project that somebody wanted to pursue, they would have to bring something like that forward for zoning review.

Um, and zoning in that circumstance would apply to the type of structure not to the type of resident within the structure, correct?

Yes.

So if we allow tiny homes, we allow tiny homes in that area.

Correct.

Okay.

Um I think that's all the questions.

And I thought I was gonna have to ask Chief Cobb, but I think that you answered the property question that I had for thank you.

Anyone else on this topic?

Councilwoman Quitechak.

Thank you.

Um, Ms.

Collins, I want to say that uh there was an incredible meeting last week on Wednesday, the opening doors update meeting, um, at which Mr.

Riddle uh and Ms.

Smith, who um from uh New Bethany and Community Action gave a very thorough uh overview of the work that's going on along with Ms.

Satulo and Ms.

Collins um to address the needs of the folks who are living on the properties that are impacted right now.

Um everybody's story.

I think as um the woman who came and spoke to us at the last meeting, shared her story.

You know, everyone's story, everyone's challenges, everyone's obstacles to housing security are a little bit different.

Um, and so, and I know that Ms.

Noonan and others have commended the work that's going on.

Um, and I would say that that work has been ongoing for a long time.

Um it's not like Norfolk Southern dropped a letter on us, and it's like, oh no, we've got to start doing something.

Let's start talking to these people.

This has been going on for a long time.

The urgency of a deadline, obviously, kind of, you know, kind of hardens the steel a bit, right?

And makes makes everybody kind of coalesce and come together a little stronger.

Um, but the the conversation that went on during that meeting was um it was over two hours long, and everybody stayed because there was there is so much going on, and that's not much comfort to folks who are being told they have to leave where they are on December 15th.

But to say that nothing is happening is just simply not true.

Um, and so anyone who um would take the time to actually um listen to the reports and read emails that we're receiving and and all of that would know that um you know, we've got 11 non-congregate family units that will be uh, you know, affordable units for uh housing insecure and and homeless families um coming online right um in the heart of uh Packer Avenue on the South Side.

Um, you know, that'll be coming online in a unfortunately probably over a year, but still um we've got obviously the gateway at fourth.

There's a new project um on Third Street that is a partnership with uh New Bethany, um, I believe two properties that are going to be rehabilitated into uh quite a number of units of affordable housing.

Uh and you know, obviously the the gateway at fourth is a big one, and then there's choice neighborhoods, which is astoundingly going to take a 196 unit um housing neighborhood and uh result in over 450 units of housing.

And again, yes, it takes years for these things to happen.

Um the the pace is never fast enough.

Uh, but I will say that there is a tremendous amount of work being done.

And you know, the conversation we had a couple of weeks ago, I was I was just kind of jarring my memory on this.

But, you know, first of all, I think understanding what alerta is is so important because each of these alerta zones is different.

So the first alerta zone that had a payment in lieu of it was 20-ish thousand.

The second one, uh, Ms.

Crampsy Smith and others on the council at the time advocated to double it and and it did get doubled for that particular new zone of alerta, which again was very difficult to develop um places.

Um and it has resulted in some, you know, we we are seeing results to that.

So uh if an alerta were to be created on the Martin Tower property, uh, and and at the time of those meetings, if they were talking about 1700 units, it would have been 107 units at 54,000, uh 170 right times 54,000 because the payment in lieu of is one for every 10 units.

Um, it would have been something like 9 million dollars payment in lieu of, except that's not what they were telling us they were going to give us.

They were going to give us half of that.

And it was like, but we'll give it to you up front.

So I'm just putting that out there.

That's how I recollect the meeting, and and others who had these meetings maybe could um speak to that as well.

Um, and uh at the time that they spoke to us, there wasn't an offer of land.

I don't know, you know, maybe that happened in a different conversation, but that certainly was not presented um to uh to me in the meeting that I had.

And so uh what they were offering us was um give us a big giant tax break and we'll give you half of the money uh if you give us alerta and we get this tax break, we'll actually only give you half of the money that your your uh owed for the for this if we made the the payment in lieu of 54,000 um a unit.

That's how I remember the conversation.

Somebody can certainly correct me if I'm wrong on that.

But again, I just want to say that I am constantly heartened by the people who come to support our unsheltered neighbors.

And um, I worry that empathy will fray because these times are difficult and people are suffering.

Um I want to thank you all for coming out and and uh continuing to press on this um as we continue to try to um solve problems that, as someone said um are not of our making.

So thank you.

Thank you.

Any other members council on this topic, Councilwoman Leo?

Um, so I had a couple statementslash questions.

Um I I remember the the alerta conversation and we talked about this uh a little bit ago.

Um, but my idea of the alert has changed from the initial conversations right now.

I believe I said this at the last time, I'd be more than happy to engage in a conversation about what alerta would look like appropriately in that in that area.

Um I think I would want to know uh how many units they they want to do if they are willing to give land, and we as a council would have to discuss what alerta um would look like in that area.

I I like the idea of using tax abatements to incentivize housing.

I think that's an appropriate use of these tax incentives.

Um, but I will say, like when we're talking about like the housing continuum, affordable housing is so far down the line of what we're looking at.

We're looking at homelessness, emergency shelters, congregate shelters, community shelters, then affordable rentals.

So like I love this conversation, but I don't I just don't think it's like it's a little bit too far down the line of what's happening um at the canal.

So I I hope that we continue to have conversations about what alerta would look like over there.

Um, you know, whoever gets to for on council gets gets what they want.

So if there's alerta, then we should have conversations about it.

But when it comes specifically to what's happening um at the canal, that's just we'd have to go through that process, uh build the units, and that's not gonna help what's going on like right now.

Um, so I did have a couple of questions because there was some statements about um an officer saying that we were sweeping encampments, and I just don't think that that's true of the canal specifically.

Um so can you can you shed a little bit of light on what's happening there?

So absolutely.

Um so I was able to, and I do apologize for being late.

Uh I was able to hear um part of what Ms.

Noonan was saying.

Uh the reason that we accompanied Norfolk Southern is because their police department is very, very small and they cover the tri-state area.

So they're covering New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, um, and beyond.

And they admittedly are not that familiar with the area.

So they asked us, as well as our community connections team to accompany them to them down to their property and kind of help out, guide them as to like where their property is.

Um in regards to the sweeps, we are not trouncing through the woods seeking people out.

Uh, we're primarily going to the areas where Norfolk, Southern, UGI, and Pendot are the property owners and where they want those specific areas posted.

We are, as Ms.

Collins said, uh, letting folks know that if they are trying to camp on uh city park property, they cannot.

Um, that's something that's always been our stance.

And it is something that we've shown discretion in the past with.

With when we go out to somebody who's trying to set up a camp here or or down at Sand Island, um, we go down with community connections, we have conversations with those folks.

We're we're not citing and arresting them right away.

Uh we are very, very aware.

We'd be incredibly ignorant if we weren't aware of how complex this issue is and how community connections has been a godsend because they've really enabled us to try to help people in getting help with whether it be housing, food insecurity, joblessness, um, any social service, uh unmet social service need that they may have.

So I I know that was a little bit all over the place, but we we're not our goal right now is not sweeps.

Our goal right now is to try to get people housing, to try to get people help.

Uh the last thing we want to do is go down there and have to arrest somebody.

And being able to work with our community partners, like New Bethany, conference of churches, uh, street medicine, being able to work hand in hand with community connections um is is what our plan of attack is right now to try to help people, especially considering uh us reaching the the colder winter months.

So when you when you guys go down, whether it's you or community connection or anything like that.

So we have people that already are currently living there, and we're going to have to figure out as a community what's going to happen when the whole Norfolk Southern thing happens.

Um are you seeing new people come in?

And if you are, are you guys actively engaging in conversations to make sure that they're not getting so settled to only just then be disrupted?

So, like if I show up down there tonight and need to um and find myself living there, um, what are we doing to make sure that the person knows what's inevitably coming before they get too settled in?

Sure.

So I can speak a little bit to that.

Um, as was alluded to before, we've been doing this work well before the Norfolk Southern notice.

We've had a community connection staff that's pretty much primarily dedicated to working with the homeless population.

So we've been down in the encampments doing outreach, um holding care events where they're resource events, bringing everybody as far as our service providers together in one location, one stop shop type service, holding bi-weekly calls with service providers to coordinate services.

So I know you're all well aware of this.

Uh, you know, we've issued several memos stating, you know, kind of summarizing all the efforts that we've been making.

But we are down there pretty much every day with our community partners.

So we know who is down there, we know their background, we know what service they're connected to or not connected to.

And we continually are doing counts down there.

New people unfortunately are coming in.

So as we're helping people, we are also counting new people coming in.

Obviously, Allentown is closing their encampment at the end of this month.

So that's impacting some of our numbers because we are having some folks from Allentown come into Bethlehem, but we are continually communicating that message so they know what's going to be happening as far as deadlines and where they can go as far as services.

And as stated in the memo to council yesterday, we are making progress.

Obviously, this is a complicated issue.

It's very resource-intensive, and we're really trying to focus on connecting people to housing and all those other social supports.

And we have uh as of today now 22 people connected with intensive case management.

Um, so I'd love to hear the work.

Um I'm curious.

I I know that like we're going to reach a point where people are scrambling because December's going to get here before we realize it.

Um, we do have community partners that have public spaces.

Um I'm not necessarily thinking the universities because they'll be actively in session.

Um, but UCC is not the only church in Bethlehem.

There's plenty, I see steeples everywhere.

Um, I'm not sure about the separation between you know what we do and what congregations do.

But has there been any active outreach on our part or has there been any outreach on the part of any of the churches that are willing to be part of the conversation, especially if they have space that's vacant, like six days out of the conference of churches has taken the lead on that on looking at some church property, but we haven't had any follow-in follow-up meetings.

So that's something that that's been stated.

I mean, right now it's like all options are on the table.

We're exploring how we can leverage current partnerships.

We're also applying for grants that we're hoping to secure that can hope that can help with some of the emergency housing.

So if we need to house somebody, for example, in a hotel until we can get them into a more permanent situation, we're seeking that funding.

So, you know, with all the expertise and all the partners, we we're looking at innovative ways that we can leverage what's already existing.

Thank you.

I mean, I'm gonna throw my support behind um, I believe uh councilman Laird spoke about this.

Like uh the encampments are happening, whether they're legal or not, whether people like them or not, whether people don't like them.

Um, so anything that could kind of maybe if there is an area that allows for um camping to kind of give some space between a public park and where people are are living, it also kind of clears up the lines for the police officers that are being asked to enforce things um and then being, you know, like we're saying we don't want it, but these are active laws in the books.

So I think that there's a lot of things that need to be cleared up.

Obviously, not gonna be cleared up in two hours on a Tuesday night.

Um, but uh thank you for the work.

Um I know I'm gonna have other questions, probably ask it at the next council meeting.

Thank you.

Councilwoman Wilhelm.

Ms.

Wenwick, I had a couple of questions for you.

And actually, you you answered one of them already, or something I was hoping that you would clarify for folks who are tuned in and and here at this meeting, um, knowing that this is an issue that that rightfully concerns many residents of Bethlehem and beyond.

Um we have the privilege of knowing about the work that you do and receiving your memos.

Thank you for the most recent one that really highlighted what a coordinated and collaborative effort this is that you're partaking in.

Um, and and was hoping that you would take a moment to articulate community connections, that phrase being not thrown around used here, um, maybe not clear to those new to council meetings that we are referring to uh an initiative, a program that is a sustained proactive initiative.

The words community connections, you could be talking about something a lot less um intentional and and impactful than than the work that you do.

So I think you've you've highlighted that, you've summarized that, and just I did want folks to know that this is this is not a reactive suddenly throw your hands up in the air, something's happening.

We better do it's these are long-term services, relationships that you're providing, trusted relationships, and you know these individuals, uh, and we really appreciate your work with this program.

Thank you.

Specifically with regard to the memo that you provided.

I did have one question just about a program that I knew a little bit less about the Northampton County law enforcement-led initiative.

RED program, yes, which was new to me.

Um you mentioned two things.

One, you mentioned some barriers to entry.

I was curious about what those might be.

And my second question about that particular program is any um residential treatment involved in that program.

Yes, and Chief, you can chime in as well.

So the LED program is a diversion program.

So if somebody is arrested and charged, it gives them the option if substance use, if they have a substance use disorder, that they can get into treatment.

Um, we have had some issues where charges have eventually been dropped.

So then that person does not end up going to treatment.

So we just need to talk more to the county and to the DA's office to find out exactly if we need to be doing something different on our end or they need to be doing something different on their end, if it's not the communication that's happening both ways.

So um, I know Chief was going to be reaching out.

So entry into the program is arrest dependent.

Yes.

So if charges get dropped, then the person doesn't need to go into treatment.

So the charges must stay, and then they go into treatment.

I see that's an interesting problem to have.

Um, and you said that that some of that treatment is potentially residential, long-term, I believe short-term residential.

Okay, thank you.

I appreciate uh your answers and your work, both of you.

Any other new business on this topic before we move on?

Councilwoman Cramsie Smith.

Hi, thank you.

I just have a question.

You said there were 20 individuals for um ICM intensive case management.

I'm assuming that's undoted mental health for the county, right?

It's not through the county, it's through a provider.

Okay.

Are they um hooked up with the county though?

I mean, the county.

The county's actively involved.

Okay, the mental health center drug house.

So I'm wondering, like for those specifically, has is the county able to provide any community living arrangements like CRR or anything like they do have group homes for people that have mental health or have they been um have they said do they have any openings or can they?

I mean, if it's a crisis, somebody is when I worked for the county.

If someone was homeless, we would make sure they got into a residence.

What depending on what their issue was or disability.

So the county's been on site, Northampton County, um, both mental health and drug and alcohol have been on site with us as we've been doing some of our events.

So they're they're doing the drug and alcohol assessments and linking people to services.

I can't speak specifically to what they've done, like as far as housing people in any of their okay.

All right.

That's just one thing.

So I've said it before.

I mean, as a city, we don't have human services and the county has a whole human services department.

And I would say that we really need to uh you know have a bridge with them and say what do they have residentially that they can do for these folks because it's a crisis.

I mean you're involved in all of our meetings and discussions.

Okay, I mean I would I would put it on the table with them.

Like, do you have anything residential or if not, what can you do?

I mean, we even at Lehigh County had a respite program in a hotel uh motel that we would have an apartment that we were vent that we will put people there when they became homeless.

I mean, that was a bit ago, but I would really push the county.

No offense to the county, but they have the funds and they have to, you know, the programs.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilman Laird.

I uh thought of an additional question.

So um, you know, we're coming into budget season, and uh if I'm recalling correctly, I I was just trying to search our budget uh to find the exact number, but I couldn't we um set aside as a city money to help with building uh a year-round shelter when the support, you know, because the city could help fund infrastructure, but isn't going to operate a shelter, which makes sense.

Um there are experts who do that.

And the primary emergency sheltering um in Bethlehem right now is BES.

Um, and I understand they're mostly volunteer run, um, and you know, have a lot on their plates for focusing on the seasonal work that they do, but I also haven't directly heard um any updates about any plans for converting to a year-round shelter.

And I could certainly reach out to um Mr.

Rap if if need be, but I wasn't sure if anyone here has any updates on um BES and the potential for becoming a longer-term shelter.

I know Laura meets with Bob on a regular basis.

So if you want to provide an open yeah, I'm happy.

Um, I I would also refer you back.

We did write an email, I think right around when Norfolk Seth and First made this announcement that was pretty comprehensive that included both Packer Avenue and BES.

But just to expand on that a little bit more, we are meeting with BES regularly.

We do have an hour budget as thanks to city council, about $2 million set aside for that project.

The total project cost is six million dollars.

So we've gone through preliminary design.

We have that cost estimate.

We are actively fundraising.

You'll see tonight on the agenda that there are two grant applications that are directly related to that project.

So you know, it's it's been, you know, quite some time that we've been working with BES, think you know, working with them on where they are.

You know, they are now, you know, got committees on their board that are gearing up for a capital campaign.

Um they're having their first um big fundraiser actually October 3rd, the Shindig at the at the shelter.

So I would encourage anybody who's able to buy tickets to that um to support it.

Um but you know, we we're helping on the public funding side, which is why you're seeing you know, our our applications for LSA and um RCAP for that project specifically, and they're also working, you know, internally at BES on an operational strategic plan so that they can transition to year-round.

They are very volunteer-driven.

It is not a small ask of them to ask them to go year-round.

And you know, we're we're we're trying to help them and encourage them and and and work with them on the strategy behind doing that and and how they can get from where they are now to where they need to be.

Um, you know, in with respect to like funding for year-round operations, you know, we did take on the ESG administration, the emergency solutions grant through the state for the entire region, and and part of our thought process in doing that was as the municipal entity that is handling that money out did previously, we are now.

Um, they couldn't capacity-wise continue to do it, and we kind of stepped up and said, we are really busy, but we're gonna do it anyway, because it's going to be able to give us some more flexibility to help BES with potential funding for operations to go year-round as well.

So, you know, we also worked with BES and their board to get an MOU signed to sort of solidify this, you know, agreement.

And um, you know, we're working and it's it's taken some time, but we're working with the church as well.

You know, it's an interesting dynamic.

It was a little bit easier with Packer Avenue, where it was just us and conference of churches kind of working through this, and and but here you've got us and BES and the church itself who's got the actual facility.

So, you know, we're we're you're working through that as well because that's an important part of the grant applications is to be able to demonstrate you know, property control to some to some extent.

So that is the update on that.

Okay, yeah.

And I I apologize.

I like somebody else had said there's been a lot of information, and I do have your email here, and I guess I was looking for more of a like a like a timeline update like could this be a solution for they just go year round when they would normally close this spring.

But it sounds like it's still pretty far, like that wouldn't be realistic to expect that they would just stay open this year.

Yeah, and well, there's two components.

There's one, there's the the actual capital improvements, which is a six million dollar project.

But if they wanted to exist in the same facility with no improvements, but go year round.

I mean, there's there's a lot of barriers to that in the physical space, but even if they wanted to do that operationally, like I don't believe that is something that they are.

I mean, they have told us that that's not something that they're capable of doing year-round right now with with their staff with the volunteers, um, and not just for financial reasons, but just because their model um currently is is one that we would make it difficult for them to go year-round.

Okay.

Um, and then uh I think this would probably be a community connections type question.

Um so we've heard a lot of people saying, like, okay, yes, we have four months instead of you know the one or two months that Allentown had, and that's good, but it's the dead of winter, and um, you know, can't we like have a heart and wait?

Um from a like community connections and uh social services perspective seasonally in our area, is there an advantage to waiting until the other side, which would include like when I'm thinking about this, I'm like, okay, somebody's gonna be camping outside no matter what, right?

Like, and we have an emergency shelter open in the winter that can take some, not all of the people uh for whatever reasons, but if we wait until spring, um, like has been requested, then people are staying in the encampment until you know through the coldest months of the year, uh, January, February, uh, when we have the absolute lowest temperatures in this area typically.

Um I understand that the encampment allows for some more per, you know, it doesn't actually allow it, but there are some more semi-permanent structures set up and people have fires again, not actually allowed, but they do.

But is there is there any advantage to waiting to spring versus taking advantage of the four months to get people out of the encampment before the coldest time of the year?

Well, I think first the deadline wasn't imposed, obviously by the city.

That deadline came from from Norfolk Southern, and they wanted to coincide it to make sure that there was a sheltering option available, which obviously BA BES will be open by then.

Okay.

Um and in that social services perspective, like is there just general there's no like there's no good time.

There's no good time, right?

Like, yeah, there's not really a good answer to that because no matter what time you select, because if you select after BES is closed, then it's like, well, where's the sheltering option?

Right.

So yeah, it's like there's pros and cons, I think with with any, like when Allentown closed their shelter, there wasn't a sheltering option open.

Um now there will be, but at that point in time, there wasn't their shelter wasn't even slated to be open.

So right.

So okay, I I that's kind of where I was landing, like in my head, but I just wanted to make sure that I wasn't missing some like, well, yes, obviously you would wait until this other time, you know.

Okay, thank you so much.

Mr.

Callan.

No, I just want to um, you know, as I said in my email back, you I want to thank you for everything you did.

I mean, um you're going above and beyond duty right now.

And when city employee is working so hard as you are on his uh, you know, you people need to be congratulated for a good job.

Thank you.

Um, there's no as it was stated, there's no good time, you know, to move anybody.

But I think I would prefer the date get moved before the cold weather, and then during the the winter months while the shelter's open, um, we have a little bit more time to find alternative situations for everybody.

I think I think it's probably the best way to go on it.

But just want to thank you again for you know for everything you're doing.

I know you spent a lot of time down air, and you're very well versed with uh with with all the individuals down air.

And um I want to thank you for the email and the very in-depth information that you you know sent council.

Thank you.

Thank you.

But it's really it's the community connections team.

I can't take all the credit.

They're they're down doing the outreach every day.

Thank you.

Anybody else on this topic before we just proceed to their typical new business?

Thank you, Miss Quenrick.

Thank you, Miss Collins.

Thank you, Chief Cott.

We still are on new business though, so I'll open it up.

Any new business from members of council, councilman Leo.

I had uh a couple of questions about things that were brought up.

Um, so the the Lanta bus stop um that's going up on the bridge is actually something that's come up quite a bit in the public and green space committee over on the south side because that Lanta bus stop is going up onto the bridge, but also coming down to that land to that stop.

There's about two places where it says no pedestrian, like nope, there's no crosswalks, but it also prohibits pedestrians from walking.

So it's kind of in this really wonky space.

Um, and I know that at least the public and green space committee has identified it as a place we would love um to see investment.

So this is really just bringing it to the attention that this is something that has come up in conversation quite regularly, um, not just with the business owners down there, but with community members in general, that they would like to see that um that bus stop become a little bit more um just accessible, uh just friendly to put the pedestrians that are walking down there with clear signage where they can actually get to the bus stop at.

Um so that was the park.

Um the two the two gentlemen who came to speak about the the downtown business issues in general, specifically South Bethlehem.

I was curious, you talked about the north side, sorry, Miss Collins.

Uh you talked about the issues that the north side has like a list of what they kind of have identified as priorities.

Um I'm curious if the businesses in South Bethlehem have done that as well.

I mean, I've talked to some people one-on-one about what they would like to see at the replacement of benches and stuff like that comes up quite regularly.

Um, but is there something similar on the south side as like the north side that has a specific list of capital projects that the city can actually help with?

I'm not talking sidewalks here, but is there something like that for the south side?

So on the north side, you have the the DBA/slash chamber on the south side, you have the Southside Arts District, and we use you know both of those bodies to really be like our bridge to the business um businesses and um you know, business interest in those areas.

Actually, the Southside Arts District might even at this point be a little bit better positioned because you know they agreed to have us go in for a Main Street Matters grant to do strategic planning for the Southside Arts District to kind of take what has existed there for seven or eight years and really look at like if we wanted to actually get a main street designation here and you know look at all of the different components of that, which includes beautification, like capital type improvements, you know, what would it take to get there?

And so they're undertaking strategic planning right now.

So I actually think what's going to come out of that is better than just a bullet point list of like things that people are jatting down on paper, and it's gonna be much more strategic.

There's gonna be a lot more um engagement, thoughtful with the businesses, both those that are engaged with the Sausage Arts District and those that might not be that engaged, there's still gonna be some thoughtful outreach there as well.

And the goal would be that coming out of that plan, you're gonna have not just a list of needs, but you're gonna have a strategy around how to tackle them and also um some thoughtfulness behind like what's some sustainable funding and some ways that we can really like grow this um Southside Arts district in a in a in a way that's gonna address you know a whole wide range of needs.

So that's uh maybe it doesn't answer your question directly.

I mean, is there currently like a bullet point to checklist, like to-do list?

I don't have one of those from the South Arts District.

Um, you know, but we do engage with their you know, green space or design committees and and whatnot and and work through projects if they come up.

So they had put out a grant opportunity a couple of weeks ago that I had seen um come through, which is which is incredible because grants for businesses come along like never.

So it'd be it's great to see grants for businesses.

And I'm just curious, you know, if there's anything else like that um on the horizon, because like specifically South Bethlehem got hit really rough this summer.

The businesses got hit really bad with the the road work, nobody's blaming you, Mike.

Um, we all know uh but with the students gone and then the street closures, um, it was really bad.

Um so I'm just curious, like yeah.

So that that was another um Main Street Matters grant that that we got through Bedco.

And so we created we're calling it the big program, the business improvement grants.

We have 35,000, um, and then it's a one-for-one match.

So the businesses will match and they can ask for up to 5,000.

So it could be basically 70,000 of investment.

Um, and it's available for both North and like Northside Alive and Southside Arts District.

Um, and we had over 40,000 in requests from a wide range of businesses.

I'm gonna say there are at least a dozen, maybe 15 different applicants with a range of projects, really good ones.

So we're going through and evaluating those now.

We're obviously gonna fund as many as we can.

But um, you know, the response to that was really really strong.

So it's a it's a good tool.

Um, the fact that we had so many responses does indicate that if we can find some additional funding for a program like that, I think we'd continue to see interest in it.

Yeah, I would love to see anything or just be kept in the loop about anything that's going on there.

I know that we've talked about kind of the inconvenience of construction in a downtown area, i.e.

we've talked about you know, have being down a garage while we're going into the Christmas city over like Christmas season over here on the north side.

Um on the Well, so we'll have a garage in November.

So we will have a garage for this Christmas.

Not bad.

You know what I'm saying?

Um, but like uh especially like on third and new um, there's gonna be construction on both sides of third with the hotel with um, and these are all great projects.

It's all like, you know, it's it's amazing, it's a vibrant city.

Um, but that traffic really slams the small businesses and and they are just in this economy.

Um, so the the other question I had, this might be this might be um Mr.

Alcall, but traffic on the South Side in general.

Um, so uh Bond place brought this up, Sam, but Bond Brewing brought this up.

Uh Southside traffic is intensely wild.

Um and people drive the wrong way on one way, which is illegal, obvious.

Um, but so many people do it.

And I'm just curious as to what triggers a traffic study outside of development when people are are existing in a space, like if they're showing you that they're just gonna turn this way, um, and there's nothing you could do about it.

Like, what do we do to keep up with the traffic patterns as they continue to evolve?

Because the traffic patterns of Southside and 2025 are not the traffic patterns of 2017 or 2010, like the intensity of the through traffic.

Um, and I know state roads are state roads, but the intensity of the the through traffic, the commuter traffic coming in.

Um, if you add that to how the students get to Broccol and Donegan, um it is it's it's intense over there.

So I'm just curious what does trigger a traffic study in an area?

Um, or how do you track like hot spots um where you're seeing a lot of just in proper use of roads, if that's how I would word that.

And I also want to say Ryan just came out to talk to uh Indian Hill about the traffic improvements that have been done, uh Indian Hill, and he was incredible.

Traffic and parking are not easy community meetings to have, and he handled it with grace and poise and really intelligent and thoughtful traffic calming measures.

So I just want to make sure that he's he's doing an incredible job.

Yeah, I mean, there's a number of things you can look at.

Um of what's being described if people are not following the traffic control appropriately, quite honestly, the most applicable thing you could do to try to address that is enforcement, um, surveillance enforcement, whatever means you can deploy or employ in order to correct that.

If it's a capacity issue, meaning delays, um any, you know, there's no uh it would have to be just observations in terms of um congestion and that sort of thing that could trigger okay.

Let's evaluate, for example, um, we did numerous efforts and numerous studies because of the significant delays in congestion on line dust.

Yeah, we evaluated one repairing and all that.

Unfortunately, in a heavily urbanized area like this and the way it's been built with a low capacity single lanes in each direction, we're very limited in terms of being able to affect capacity improvements, yeah.

So the bet other methods of trying to address that is you know, synchronizing the traffic signal, for example, and linking them.

Um but it's something it accident history is usually used to address a problem.

Uh capacity concerns would be based on community observations and over time that's identified that there's a concern on this road or that road, and then we would evaluate it through traffic counts and and assess what the problem is and if there's any feasible solutions to deploy to okay.

So if there is a community concern that is a viable community concern, i.e., like um, I know where I live, I see traffic all the time.

So every person who blows through a stop sign, to me, that's like that's the thousandth person today that's blown through a stop sign.

I know that I know that it's not, but I'm seeing it all the time.

So, how do you differentiate between just like I see this all the time?

So I feel like this is a problem versus how do you identify places that are genuinely problems so that you can do a traffic study?

I don't know if I'm phrasing this question well.

Yeah, I'm I guess I'm wondering can any person trigger a traffic study?

Or do you have to meet a certain like threshold of things to have a traffic study?

Probably the easiest answer to that is I mean, uh we've encouraged people who observe issues to call them in and we do uh keep records uh you know regarding traffic complaints.

And if there's a case built for a specific problem at an intersection, um, then that would obviously trigger us evaluating it and try to address it.

Okay, all right.

Thank thank you.

Anything else from members of council?

I want to follow up on that specific thing.

So since I know we're trying to stay on the same matter, I just I'd like everyone, we've been on new business for an hour, so you'll have the floor to talk about whatever issues you'd like, Councilman.

Okay, well, and with my it happens to it happens to just I understand this, please encompass what you have so we're not jumping around and everyone having the floor one time for whatever other topics come up.

You got whatever questions you have.

Um, so I had specifically reached out about that intersection a little while ago.

Um, and I and and was similarly wondering, so not not with regard to a larger traffic study, but just in that in a sort of a micro sense, right?

Like if the data, if it's not a high accident area, if if the data doesn't really compel, then um obviously Mr.

Mazzoto was here tonight at the meeting and wanted to you know speak this sort of into the into public record.

Um, you know, you mentioned something about sort of observation, obviously somebody who's spending most of their waking hours at that corner, which is not a highly populated corner, that's going to be our best sort of source of information.

Do you sort of have one on one meetings with individuals?

What do you recommend sort of someone in Mr.

Mazzoto's situation do next to sort of help the observations or um the data because a near miss is a near myth in so maybe he's seeing I mean I drive through that intersection daily, and I'm I naturally slow down because I know it's not people going the wrong way, it's people disregarding the stop sign and kind of moving through as if they don't realize it's a little bit of a visual sort of barrier to the right.

Um, so yeah, so what would be that next step for him?

That's one of the most that's the one thing that one of the things that frustrates people the most is that we mostly focus on and rely on accident history, reportable events that result and and consequences in order to actively seek solutions.

Um when you have near misses, the only but there's no nothing that happens out of them.

Um they become a little more difficult and challenging to deal with because you know, we don't have any, you know, uh concrete evidence of the problem.

Um but I would encourage that we just continue the dialogue, continue reporting it.

Um and then um I'm pretty confident that if the problem exists and there is uh feasible solutions to address it, we will definitely pursue and implement them.

So if so, even to suggest that he sort of take anecdotal notes and share them with you.

We would be more than happy to work with him.

Great to address that situation.

I appreciate that.

Because I know sometimes again, it's a micro situation, it's important to the people who live, walk, work, play, ride through that one particular intersection, and ideally there's a low-level low-hanging solution.

You have something to add, yeah, not to steal Mike's thunder.

No, um, just from the health uh bureau perspective, there's two things.

So we do have a citizens' traffic advisory committee that meets monthly.

So residents can um leverage their complaints there.

And Mike has his staff there as well as police, pends represent it.

So we do have multiple um agencies that are part of that, and that's part of the discussion if residents have certain concerns.

So they can certainly bring it forth there.

And then secondly, we do do pedestrian stings as well.

So the health bureau will go out.

Um, so although, like Mike said, you know, they do rely on accident data, we will have um some of our staff where they'll just act as a pedestrian and going back and forth in certain intersections that we may get complaints on to see if there's any you know true issues there.

So that is one way we can do it without actually having an accident occur.

Great.

Thank you for those additional resources.

Anything else, Council?

That's it.

Mr.

Callanhan, thank you.

Uh Ms.

Collins, the the 350,000 that the parking authorities are given to the um is it to the DBA?

So um I did double check it is 307,000.

So it's not 350.

I wanted to correct that.

And so the parking authority is actually paying for the polls themselves, like they are they are purchasing the light poles.

Good.

Is um do we know how much money the parking authority gives to the city in grants or donations or like on a yearly basis?

To the city specifically, or or yeah, I know I know there's been other organizations.

Well, uh I know several times um that I've been on council that I've heard hey, you know, parking authority is gonna donate some money to this or uh grant some money to this.

Do we know how much money on a yearly basis they give us?

Well, so again, I'll I'll sort of separate.

So the parking authority does contribute to a number of community organizations.

So they contribute to the South Side Arts District.

Um, I believe 100,000 a year, they contribute to the DBA or chamber.

I forget which one gets the actual dollars, but I think that's also about 100,000 a year.

They contribute to the South Side ambassadors newly starting in 2025.

So that's the very popular program on the South Side that does you know cleanup and and and speaks with folks who who come around.

So um, you know, in light of some funding changes from some of the other funding sources, the BPA stepped up and is contributing to that program uh as well.

And there's sometimes there's one-off projects that the BPA can contribute to, like when we redid Fairview Park, um they they sponsored a a little bit of that project um as well.

I can have uh Mr.

Frontstrom kind of document all of that.

He's he's gone over it before, but I know you know I think we're pretty fortunate that it's a part of there and the board's mission to you know contribute when they I only bring it up because parking, the parking authority gets beat up a lot in it's a tough, tough position for us, especially the the meter maids that are out there.

Um it's nice to know that the parking authority does a lot of good in the city, and I don't think people realize that.

I mean, uh there they're spending 37,000 hours on new street lights and uh one of the benefits of that is all the lights are going to be substantial enough to hold uh potted plants on there.

So I think it's the beautification of of the downtown area is is going to be substantial in it's uh the parking authority, you know, to think for that.

So if he could or if you could or if he could get a list together so council's aware of it and the rest of the city is aware of it, you know, and I'd appreciate it.

Thank you.

Um Mr.

Spurge, you you got a second?

Yeah, I'm free.

I don't I don't want to make any comments on the situation with uh our our ex employee, especially after um um the comments that uh were out there ready.

Uh but I I sent you a memo just asking for an internal investigation on whether Chief, what's the what's the name of the reporting?

Mark 43.

Mark 43.

I I'm not asking uh for it to be made public.

I'm just and I don't think the DA would be doing this because they already said that there's no other issues with the city or any other employees.

So I'm just asking you or someone, I don't know who you who would do it to see just to see if an intern internally privately, just so we're aware of it, if he went into the Mark 43 system and research any police reports outside of the scope of his duties.

That's all I was asking for.

I think I think that's fair.

I have every reason to believe the investigation is doing that.

The DA's office.

But if they don't, sure, please.

I I'd appreciate it because I just um I think it's something that that we as a city should know if it was being abused or not.

I'm not saying it was, I'm not accusing him of that.

I I would hope that the district attorney would do that if they're not, if it could be if you look, I don't know if you saw in the memo, but I asked for an internal investigation on it, and that's all I was asking for.

And maybe if there is, if there isn't, no no need for us to be informed about it.

But if there was, um, maybe we could be informed in executive session or something like that.

Yeah, I was just I just don't want to step on them because they're doing it now.

No, no, I no, I totally get it.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Callahan.

Any other new business?

Councilwoman Laird.

Um, first, just uh three thanks.

Uh one echoing uh councilwoman Que atex thanks um following up on the flock uh research you did.

Um data privacy is one of my things.

So thank you.

Um thank you to uh Ms.

Duelo for uh all of her work on the World Heritage uh community block party.

Uh it was really cool to see so many different populations coming together, uh, who might be interested in various facets of uh that recognition for our city.

Um and also like particularly uh really loved seeing that mural down in the tunnel.

Um if you haven't seen it already, the tunnel that goes uh between kind of the Hotel Bethlehem and uh historic land there down towards uh Moravian's South Campus uh has a beautiful mural in it now, uh, which I didn't know was even coming up.

So uh cool.

Thank you so much for your work on that, and everyone else who who contributed.

Um and also uh to public works, thank you for I I was over on Pennsylvania Avenue and I saw that uh the residents who had come and talked about the lines uh differentiating the parking area from the travel area on their road, uh that that has been followed through on and um even in a longer span of the road than I expected it to be.

So uh hopefully that solves their concerns and wasn't too much of a burden on the the team.

Uh, but thank you for listening to their concerns.

Um regarding the bus stop at second and new and other bus stops.

Um, we've previously talked about the uh broaden getter transit center and um you know the potential for public restrooms there, the potential for um providing some warmth for people who are waiting in the the winter.

Um I was made aware that uh Lanta received uh 1.2 million dollar grant recently for um what they're calling efficiencies and rider amenities on express routes.

Um and I wondered if um Bethlehem staff have already been in conversation, maybe even as part of the grant application process about any specific improvements to um sites within the city.

Um I know Allentown commented uh in the article I had read about some uh improvements coming to the Allentown Transit Center.

And I know we've already done some work in Bethlehem on our transit center, but is there anything new and exciting that we should be expecting to see coming out of that grant?

Not at this moment.

Okay.

Uh well, perhaps uh we just for the purposes of the microphone, it that was not at this moment.

Correct.

Um I look forward to hearing about anything that might come out of that.

And perhaps we could talk about uh you know benches over at that uh that particular stop and and others that don't have them.

Um that's uh a really great uh um grant for them to have received.

So um, all right, thank you.

That's it.

Any other new business from members of council?

So just two quick things, because it did come up and thank you, Miss Wenrick, about the Citizens Traffic Advisory Committee.

I will note it meets again on October 7th, and then again on December 2nd, if those dates are correct on the website.

The and that's at 8:30 a.m.

here in um city hall, and then that's listed under citizens traffic advisory committee for anyone who's following along and was interested.

That's on the city website, and we'll talk with uh I know it had come up during public comment previously about noting it on the city website, someone couldn't find it, and everybody kind of coordinated getting that on there.

So I'll just ask that we make sure that we update that part of the website at the end of the year for the dates for 2026.

And then I just briefly want to comment on just Martin Tower as a whole.

The some of the conversations that were were mentioned earlier happened a few years ago.

So I'm not gonna go by memory for things that I haven't looked at in a while, other than I just hope whatever conversations happen moving forward and in whatever capacity happened in good faith, because there is a sense and I have no relationship with the developer or property owner.

I I don't know all the economics that go into what uh motivates or is the deciding factor in moving forward with a project or or not moving forward with the project.

But Martin Tower, uh, as we've known for predating my time on council, even is just such a unique tract of land because of all that acreage that we have over there.

It's current zoning is the only, it's the only zone of its type here in the city.

It's you know, there's referenced earlier, sort of what their um tax liabilities have been.

It's been referenced earlier with some of their um RCAP awards have been over the years, and in a city where I know uh director Collins had mentioned sort of what is developable land is at a premium, uh it feels like Martin Tower to a degree is uh a water well in a desert.

I mean, it it's it's unique that it is that 50-ish acres right there.

So as conversations continue to come up about what happened years ago, which was alluded to an ask of about 1,700 units, which I believe going by census information is about the size of Freemansburg Borough.

So it's kind of like there has to be an acknowledgement that it wasn't just a you know, something that there wouldn't potentially be pushback from West Bethlehem, but at the same time, there is a need for different levels of housing and things like that.

So obviously that conversation happened years ago.

I I agree with Mr.

Callahan about wanting to see something happen, but like anything, there's kind of the superficial conversations, and then the devil's always in the details as we talk about well, what is it that happens, what the needs are realistically, what is the timeline, even if even if the the private sector in terms of the property owner and the city came to some sort of agreement of what what worked for both parties, even then that's gonna take that that's not a light switch that we just flick and then all of a sudden these these buildings and dwellings uh go on.

And in the meantime, there are other projects as we're talked about um that are in progress and hopefully going online soon.

So I will just re-reiterate, and again, uh Mr.

Callahan, in case you missed it, just echoing your you know, support of something happening at Martin Tower, but I was just recognizing that the devil's always in the details and in terms of what the economics look like for the the property owner versus what is a something that uh the city, whether it be the administration or or council have an appetite for, that's where if we want to speak at, you know, superficially about well, we want more affordable housing.

I think everyone in this room, not to speak for everybody would agree.

Yes, there's a need for affordable housing.

It always comes down to what does that look like?

What are we willing to give up?

What are we willing to take?

What is the the you know the other party and interested and invested in this look like?

And I was just sharing that.

I hope any conversations uh to that matter happen in good faith, and that if there is a a good faith shared vision to reach a common goal for the better of Bethlehem, then that you know any conversations are inspired by those shared goals.

So yeah, that's all I have to say on that.

Just quick Mr.

Callahan.

No, I and I totally agree with you.

I I had a chance to um look up the letter while uh a few minutes ago while we were talking about it.

And um, I think what what he what he had said to the council at that time was um based on the 1700 units that he wanted they were that they wanted to build.

And since then they've decided not to do that.

So obviously the number would be smaller, but at that time, Miss Uh Quitech is correct.

They they offered, I think eight million.

It was either seven or eight million.

What I just read in the letter.

That was going to be as each, because it's multiple buildings.

I mean it'd be it'd be multiple um uh housing buildings as each one got done.

The total would have been eight million that they were going to give to the city.

Um as each one got done, or if the city chose to um take like a four million dollar or five million dollar lump lump sum at the beginning before the construction even began.

That that's basically what I got out of the letter.

I wasn't privy to the uh um I wasn't in the meetings.

Uh, I think Mr.

Herrick had had meetings with everybody on council at that time.

And uh it I didn't get a hold of the letter until probably about a week and a half ago.

So when I read it, it to me, I don't, you know, the land either sits there and does nothing and no uh added appreciation to the value of the property, and there's no tax money coming in.

It sits there, it's already paid for.

Uh, it's only going to increase in value.

Um, by it's sitting there, it's not going to go down in value.

Or we try to work out a deal with them.

Um Mr.

Calho, I wasn't trying to inspire you to repeat your points from around.

I know.

I'm just I'm just I'm just trying to figure out how we can get the most amount of money and land prop possibly to move this along so we're not talking the same thing every day.

So thank you.

Understood.

So any other new business for members of council.

We'll move on.

Thank you, everybody.

Communications, Ms.

Miller, 6A.

The September 9th, 2025 memorandum and proposed resolution from public works director, Michael Alcall.

Mr.

Alcall seeks authorization to execute an agreement with Grace Industries Incorporated of Bath to address erosion and hillside washout near the outfall on Minocase Street.

Cost is 205,427 and 22 cents, and completion is expected by December 31st, 2026.

There are no renewals, eight bids were received.

Grace Industries was the lowest responsible bidder.

And resolution 10A is on the agenda tonight.

6B.

September 5th, 2025 memorandum with an attached exhibit listing equipment for sale from Sandra Steidel, director of procurement.

Listed items will be offered for sale in an online auction within 60 days in accordance with provisions of resolution 20 2009 95.

If council has no objections to the property listed, the items may be added to the online auction.

If council would like to discuss a specific item, the same shall be removed from the list.

And we will discuss at our next council meeting, which is October 7.

Would any member of council like to remove any item from the list and discuss it at the next meeting?

I don't see any.

So it will be communicated to the purchasing director that council has no objections to the property listed.

6C.

September 9th, 2025 memorandum from council president Michael Cologne.

Mr.

Cologne recommends review of the city's Article 112 campaign finance reports.

He believes that certain process processes are duplicative because they are carried out by the on the county level.

Mr.

Cologne recommends the council's committee of the whole review this article at an upcoming meeting for potential amendment.

And I'm going to refer this to committee whole as we've done for previous sort of ethics and similar similarly, similar ordinances.

So I'll continue to work with Mr.

Miller and the rest of council to get a committee of the whole meeting on the schedule to discuss.

6D.

September 8th, 2025 memorandum from business administrator Eric Evans.

Mr.

Evans advises that the year 2026 will have the unusual circumstance of having 27 pay periods for city employees rather than 26.

Mr.

Evans explains how funds to cover this extra pay period have been escrowed over the past nine years to avoid a financial shortfall.

And this memorandum is for information only.

6E.

The September 9th, 2025 memorandum and proposed resolution from Laurie Gillio grants administrator for community and economic development.

Julio seeks authorization to apply for a grant in the amount of 800,000 for the Monroe County Local Share Account through the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.

If awarded the money would be used for capital improvements to the Bethlehem Emergency Shelter.

And resolution 10B is on the agenda tonight.

Six.

The September 9th, 2025 memorandum and proposed resolution from Lori Jillio grants administrative for community and economic development.

And resolution 10C will be on the agenda.

Bless you.

6G.

The September 9th, 2025 memorandum and proposed resolution from Lori Julio, Grants Administrator for DCED.

Ms.

Gillio seeks authorization to apply for a grant the amount of 400,000 for the Lehigh Northampton County local share account through the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.

If awarded the money would be used for construction on West Broad Street.

And that's listed as resolution 10 D.

6H.

September 9th, 2025 memorandum and proposed resolution from Lori Gillio Grants Administrator for DCD.

Ms.

Julio seeks authorization to apply for a grant in the amount of $2 million for the redevelopment assistance capital program grant to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

If awarded the money would be used for capital improvements to the Bethlehem Emergency Shelter.

Resolution 10 is on tonight's agenda.

6I.

September 9th, 2025 memorandum and proposed resolution from Lori Gillio, grants administrator for DCD.

Ms.

Gillio seeks authorization to apply for a grant in the amount of five million dollars for the redevelopment assistance capital program grant through the community of Penn through the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

If awarded the money would be used toward the South Side Community Center.

Resolution 10F is on the agenda.

6J.

The September 5th, 2025 memorandum and proposed resolution from public works director Michael Alcall.

Mr.

Alcall seats authorization concerning a proposed change order to a contract with Grace Industries Incorporated at Bath for additions to the Friendship Park Improvements Project.

Additional work is recommended that would amend the original contract price of 965,952 and 73 cents to 1,177,261.23 cents for an increase of 211,308.50.

Term of the contract is December 31st of 2025.

And resolution 10G is on the agenda.

6K.

September 9th, 2025 memorandum and proposed resolution from public works director Michael Alcall.

Mr.

Alcall seeks authorization to execute an agreement with Five Rivers Fabrication Incorporated Windgap to design and construct a sign containing the words City of Bethlehem to be located on the property of 770 Hellertown Road.

Cost is 20,000, and the work is to be completed by July 1st of 2026.

Resolution 10H is on the agenda.

6L.

The September 8th, 2025 memorandum and proposed resolution from Public Works Director Michael Alcall.

Mr.

Alcall seeks authorization to execute an agreement with Herbert, Rowland and Grubick Incorporated at Valentown to provide design services for the Greenway Trail Phase 7 improvements, which will provide a paved connection from the previously completed improvements at Auburn Street to the Sauken Rail Trail near Bachman Street.

Cost is 1,055.

I'm sorry, 105,000 set 170 dollars, and completion is expected by December 31st, 2026.

There are no renewals.

Two bids were received with the successful bidder being the lower of the two.

And resolution 10i is on the agenda.

Reports.

I don't have anything new to report this evening.

Mr.

Evans.

Just one item.

The administration presented our five-year capital plan.

We did the planning commission last Thursday, as we do each September.

It did receive unanimous support, which we were very pleased with.

And I believe a committee of the whole is set.

Do we confirm that yet with city council to review the plan?

October 21st is the tentative.

October 21st, we're we're working on okay.

Tuesday, October 21st, 6 o'clock.

6 o'clock.

So we would also announce that at the next council meeting.

Okay.

And we would just like to put the invite out now that um it's just a little over a month now.

But if anyone on council would like to meet with members of the administration to review the plan, there's a lot to it, much as there is with the budget.

We always like to uh invite you to come in.

We of course will be talking about it in public in this room, uh plenty of the next month or two.

But if you'd like to meet prior to that, we'd be happy to meet with any member of council.

Please reach out to us and I'll follow with an email as well.

Thank you, Mr.

Evans.

For committee chair, councilwoman Cramsy Smith.

Thank you.

The finance committee met earlier this evening at 6 p.m.

in town hall.

There were three agenda items reviewed.

The first was a proposed budget transfer to fund the World Heritage Site Coordinator position.

The second was a proposed budget transfer to use money from two grants to support the women's health services and immunization outreach.

The final item was a memo from business administrator Eric Evans concerning a 2026 payroll matter.

Mr.

Evans map memo was for informational purposes only.

The outcome of the budget adjustments resulting in the first two agenda items being placed on tonight's agenda.

Grace Crampsy Smith's chairwoman finance committee.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilwoman.

We do not have any ordinances for final passage.

So we'll move on to new ordinances.

Mr.

Miller, 9A.

An ordinance of the city of Bethlehem, Counties of Lehigh and Northampton, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania amending the general fund budget for 2025.

Bill number 42, 2025 is sponsored by Ms.

Wilhelm and Ms.

Leon.

Discussion.

Councilwoman Cramps.

Go ahead.

Well councilman, I'll start with you if you had questions.

Councilwoman Cramsley Smith.

Oh, okay.

We're on 9A, the World Heritage Rust.

Yes.

Okay.

Um, I know we discussed this at length in the um finance committee meeting.

And this is basically for people that don't know.

Um, transferring 150,000 from the downtown initiative fund, um, funds that were um earmarked for downtown initiative but not used for three years so that it could go toward um the new World Heritage Site coordinator position that will be housed at Moravian University.

And the only questions I didn't ask is um I can get to them.

That's why I wanted to wait.

Oh, Mr.

Evans.

So if we transfer this 150,000 from the downtown initiative, what would be the balance in that fund that that and then the fund started with 50,000 at the beginning of the year?

This will move it to 170,000.

Okay, but my question is if we transfer 150 to this site coordinator position, then the balance would be 20,000.

Is that correct?

I wanted to know what the balance would the fund with the balance of the downtown initiative fund will be what after if we transfer this money to Moravian University for the salary.

Well, the account right now this year started with 50,000 total.

So this request is to move 120,000 into it to increase it to 170,000.

Right.

That 170,000 from that amount, 150 would go to Moravian.

10,000 has been expended to date.

So we leave a balance of around 10,000.

Okay.

So it would be 10,000.

Okay.

Thank you.

For 2025, correct.

Yes.

And as we said in the meeting, um, the city intends that this will not be a once and done funding.

Um, that where would we get the funding in two years if we continue to look to fund this position?

Have we thought about that yet?

For the for the site coordinator to give it to Maravilha University.

No, no, it's still a very much a rolling conversation as we talked at six o'clock, as this initiative has rolled down the path and and blossomed, and now we've received that designation.

The next step is to develop that 501, the nonprofit organization with the goal in mind for it to become self-sustaining.

I think you know, Stephanie Jala very nicely rolled through the entire plan on what the goal is of this new site manager and what she will be doing in the next two years.

So I think it's a discussion for a year from now or two years from now, not so much tonight at this point for this particular question.

The reason I ask is because I did ask, um, and and Mrs.

Ajello was great in responding to all my questions previous.

So I asked her both via email and then tonight also.

Is this a once and done funding that we're going to be giving?

And the answer in both in the email and tonight, my understanding was no, that we will be looking to continue the fund this position in the future.

So that's why I'm asking do we have any idea where we will get the funding from to if we're going to look continu to continue the funded position?

Yeah.

No, no, we weren't we don't know for that's a 2028 budget question you're asking.

Yeah, I don't have to something would certainly develop, sure.

Okay, thank you.

Councilwoman Leard.

I just wanted to state that I will be recusing from discussion and vote on this item.

Uh, because I am employed by Moravian University and also am directly involved in uh project work relating to this world heritage uh work at Moravia.

So understood.

Thank you, Councilwoman.

Any other discussion?

Mr.

Callahan.

Go ahead.

Go ahead.

Well, Mr.

Callahan.

You speak first.

Yeah, I'm I uh I totally support uh I'm raving college or Raven University.

But uh I'm gonna be voting no on it just for the fact that um we have uh downtown businesses that are um all the ones that I've talked to they're down 20 25 percent um on revenue for the year and uh a lot of them are really struggling right now and I just think that that money that we've had there should have been used uh to help the businesses out uh especially to get through this time with the um the parking garage.

Um I tried to explain them, you know, the parking garage is coming on board, but a lot of them don't think it's just the parking garage.

So um I think that money would have been better used uh to help out uh I don't know if it's advertising or promoting the downtown business area a little bit more, but uh I don't want to get in the habit of handing uh 150,000 hours this year and 150,000 next year um to a private university that uh has 142 million dollar endowment.

Um I think they can afford um 150,000 dollars out of the endowment to you know the fund is it's it's primarily their properties, anyways, that are that are in this um world heritage site.

And uh I think there's gonna be um you know some revenue financial gains uh that are gonna come in with um the tourism that's coming in for the world heritage site.

So um because of that, I'll be voting though.

And I I don't know.

I was hoping that the mayor would be here, but uh because I didn't want to ask him, but uh I know that he is a raving uh graduate alumni, and uh I I thought if I'm wrong, I apologize.

I thought that he was also on the board of raving.

So I just thought it was it wouldn't look good, is all I'm saying.

So thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Callahan.

Any other discussion for members of council?

Oh, somebody else.

Okay councilwoman.

Um I just I have a lot of concerns, and I just want to be really clear.

I mean, I know this vote's gonna be fruit all because I I know it's probably gonna pass, but um I 100% support the World Heritage Designation site.

In fact, I was one that voted no against decreasing the spots in the New Walnut Street Garage, specifically because I said I think they were going to be needed, because I felt we were gonna get this designation, and thank goodness we did.

Um, but I just have I have concerns about transferring 150,000 of from the downtown initiative to pay for the salary of the site coordinator position.

Because first of all, I know for a fact Moravian University already pledged that they would pay for this salary of this position into perpetuity.

So then why are we using taxpayer money to pay for this?

I don't understand that.

Secondly, the city says um, you know, this is not a once and done payment.

So we're gonna be looking for every two to three years to fund this position, and we don't even know where the funding's coming from.

And I again we go back to a private entity has agreed to pay for this forever.

So why are we gonna take taxpayer money then to pay for it?

Doesn't make sense.

And third, and most importantly, the downtown initiative fund is meant to provide funds for needed resources and repairs for both downtown areas, the north and south side.

And I know for a fact that downtown merchants on both sides have approached me multiple times, as well as other council members in the city requesting funds in recent years for what they believe to be necessary pairs and resources.

So I don't know how we could purposely not spend money on the downtown initiative budget for three years so we could save that money to transfer it to a salary for a position that a private entity already pledged to pay for.

And we're looking at um ongoing, you know, funding expenditures.

I walk both downtowns a lot, and I have a lot of concerns, and people, even um, you know, people from out of town and residents have concerns about the condition, especially the broken sidewalks and the missing bricks.

I brought that us this up before, and I know for a fact personally how one fall can really adversely affect one's life, and that's why I'm really sensitive to people falling.

And I think we need to do everything to avoid falls, especially since we are a tourism city and now world heritage designation.

I think it's vital that we earmark the funds for the downtowns, because that's the purpose of the account and not transfers for salary, again, already pledged to be covered by a private entity, or suring our downtowns are safe and looking good is directly correlated to the success of tourism in general, as well as tourism within our World Heritage sites.

And again, um I may be attacked for for this vote or for everything I'm saying, but I have to say the bottom line is my role is to ensure the taxpayer funds are utilized most efficiently, as well as to advocate for our small business owners.

And in doing that, there's no way I can justifiably vote for this budget transfer.

Thank you.

Thank you, councilman.

Councilwoman Quitech.

Thanks.

Um, first of all, I have a a question, a clarification.

Um the position that Maravin University committed to funding and perpetuity is the site manager position.

Is that correct?

And this funding is for the site coordinator position.

No, this is not a good idea.

No, if you don't mind also if you don't mind coming to a microphone if we can answer questions, please.

So this so um did they so can you explain like why we're why if they have made that commitment, then why are we doing this?

Um so first of all, I'm not sure where the misunderstanding became, but it is for funding for the site manager position at Moravian University.

Not no, no, no, you were right.

No, you were right.

Okay.

Um, so they have offered to host the position um and to you know keep that position in perpetuity um along with that responsibility are a lot of other overarching expenses.

Um so we felt that it could would be possible for us if it would be possible for us to help fund the position for now as we begin the process of building the site, both our structural and financial organization, it would free up some funding for additional support that would be needed in terms of uh that support staff possibly providing um monitoring and reporting um to UNESCO and also just building up the site as well.

So when you say um hosting, that means they're paying for the insurance and the retirement and all of that, and then office space, equipment and all of that.

Yes.

Um, and then you you point out that of course uh a site manager also needs, you know, maybe office help.

And so there would be potentially staff people at Moravian who some of their time might be connected to doing work um on behalf of this project.

Yes, and they have been um they have been um supporting this in many ways through many different positions at the university.

We heavily rely on their communications and marketing department um to handle a lot of our public affairs, which they've there's been a lot of expenses with that.

They host the website um and have all that technical support.

There's a lot of technical support um that they provide, a lot of the um work that they do.

It simply would not be feasible for us.

You know, it's a lot of savings for us as a city to try and support some of these positions.

Do we have a sense of what their um what that in kind uh cost share?

Yes, uh, what the value of that has been um over the course of the last year or so.

The approximate value of all the services that they have provided so far is 530,000.

Actually, 531,000.

Over what period of time?

Um over the I'd say about the past uh two years.

Okay, yeah, because a lot of this happened once the inscription thing actually happened, then it was like, oh, we need a really great website, and we need a yeah.

And so Mr.

Larimer's time and and as an employee of Moravian University has been going towards that.

And one of the things we talked about in the finance committee was yes, like we're gonna have to revisit this in a couple of years and see where we are.

Um at the same time that this gives a glide path for the new site manager to um get in there, create potentially a 501c3 um where they can then do the fundraising that would build sustainability for the organization itself.

So right now, what we've got is we've got this incredible honor and and amazing thing that's come to our city.

We have multiple site owners, we have a city and a and a you know, a decent-sized university, as well as a nonprofit that you know manages historic sites and things like that.

Um, and and a couple of others, I guess there's like a whole lot of partners.

Yes.

Um, and uh, and so we're like really at the very beginning of all of this.

Um, and we have talked so many times in this chamber about what this is going to mean to our city.

Um and we have talked so many times in this chamber about what this is going to mean to our city um and of course what that means to um the the businesses that are on our main street and on our uh Broad Street and and and uh you know gutter and um walnut and all of that um and uh it seems to me that um you know there are a lot of definite definitions about of what an investment is in our city and in our businesses and things like that but we have talked repeatedly about the the impact of this this incredible honor bring will bring to heritage tourism um and and all of that and uh as Ms.

Collins had mentioned there are a lot of other pockets of money and grants and things like that that are that are going into things um yes I mean we all know we're all feeling the the pressure of this economy and I have no uh doubt that that our that our main street businesses and our and our other downtown businesses on the south side as well uh are feeling the pinch um however you know if my sidewalk is cracked and uh you know someone's gonna trip on it I I as a homeowner have to pay for that so I don't understand why we keep talking about how we should be spending the city's money on repairing sidewalks that are the responsibility of property owners and I and so I you know I don't own mil million dollar plus property on Main Street you know I'm just a regular homeowner on the west side in a little three bedroom house.

So um I I don't find that a particularly compelling argument um in terms of this um and so I I guess what I'm saying is the bottom line is for me that now that we have this designation this is not the time for us to um disinvest in this process and uh it's uh actually the time for us to re-commit to the process um which is going to have so many benefits for the city and for our business owners um and so for those reasons I'll be voting yes thank you.

Thank you counter any other discussion councilwoman Leo.

I have a question um was Moravian ever asked if they could use their endowment like I I know that there's endowment restrictions, intent and all that stuff usually comes with board approval.

But was the question ever posed to them if they would be willing to use their endowment?

I I'm honestly I'm not sure it's not something that's come up in our World Heritage Council meetings.

And if it's uh proper to state I just want to say Moravian University owns two of the properties or 10.

So they don't now own a majority of the locations and I also just want to say that um it the plan is to reevaluate in two years.

Obviously our site manager we're hoping is going to you know start the process of generating revenue and fundraising so that it can be self-sustaining in the future you know this is a big uh a big step for us right now to get this off the ground um and Moravian has also promised their grant writing department to help assist with that um and they'll be announcing some grants uh um very shortly that are already coming into play to help um and I don't know if it's proper at the moment to say this or not but I just also want to state that my husband and I own a business in Bethlehem and we are experiencing some challenging times as well and uh do not expect the city to pay for our sidewalks.

Um when it comes to uh like the property ownership you said Moravian owns two who owns the bulk of the properties so the city owns a colonial industrial quarter um there are three property owners owners a city which owns obviously the colonial industrial quarter which is leased by HBMS Ravian University owns two properties um and then Bethlehem area Moravians own the church um the sisters house think a minehouse okay and God's acre okay all right um and we own the buildings obviously and the and the ruins in the colonial industrial quarter.

The area that's most heavily utilized because of the presence of all Arts Quest activities in that area.

So the area that's going to need the most repair over time.

Yes.

I I will say uh I I mean I I support this um I've been quite frank about the fact that like I I like that we're getting the UNESCO World Heritage designation.

I think that's a good thing for the city but I've always said that I didn't think that we would realize an economic impact right away um people that are in Bethlehem for all the other thousand festivals that we have are going to go down there.

And it's it's my hope that um it would grow to become a more economic incentive over time.

So I just see this initial hopefully one time um money to Moravian as any type of other initial startup costs like when you're starting something up you got to push a little bit um and my support for this relied heavily on the fact that the grant writing services were something that Moravian was going to help out with and if we can get grants through that like I we can't bog down the city with an additional grant writing like request for the industrial quarter or anything else UNESCO World Heritage related, we should be lessening the burden on the city when it comes to UNESCO World Heritage.

And if we can get grants through that, like I we can't bog down the city with an additional grant writing like request for the industrial quarter or anything else, uh UNESCO World Heritage related.

We should be lessening the burden on the city when it comes to UNESCO World Heritage.

So my support for this is under the assumption that it is a one-time push startup thing.

Um, but even if it is a one or two time, hopefully not more than that.

This is the conversation that we did have about at least a year ago where I said economically we're gonna end up paying something.

Um and everybody said we're all cool with it.

And I'm not saying everybody on this council, I'm just saying all the conversations that were had in this room.

It was like there was an understanding of the economic cost at the beginning.

Um, so that's why I'm supportive of it.

I don't think that we should pay for it in perpetuity.

Um, so I'm I'm hopeful that the grant writing will be very helpful to support of 501c3 and and create a fund that could sustain something.

So if I can also state that uh they're working with grad students to develop some exciting uh new ways to to promote tours and to entice people to visit the downtown and visit the site.

So I'm really excited and I hope that she gets to or we get to present that in the future to all of you.

Sorry, last question.

So you said us and the church and Moravian, mainly us, but the three of us own properties.

Did we ask the church at all to contribute anything to the so it's um it's the city, it's Moravyan University and Bethlehem area Moravians owns the church.

So the church, uh Pastor Rice and the church have they have a whole World Heritage Committee that have been um giving us in-kind services.

They do tours of the church and of the sanctuary.

Um they pretty much um funded a lot of of the celebration.

Um, and they have contributed uh many services, uh, what they can you know physically do.

They're also in the process now of raising money for a new roof, so they have their own expenses um that they have to you know incur and take care of, but they um are a great partner and volunteer, their volunteers are just amazing.

So they um are always present for any event and uh sit on all of our committees as well.

Okay, so in kind contributions from our partners that are not sitting on endowments, but the partner that is sitting on an endowment um services to the tune of almost 500,000 that you said.

Thanks for that number.

I didn't realize that.

Um, and then our initial push is what's going to get UNESCO really off of the ground.

And then we reevaluate in the future.

Right, thank you.

Sure.

Any other discussion for members of council?

Calan?

Is it is there has there been any discussion on um tickets, selling tickets or fees for admittance or anything like that, you know, to generate revenue?

So we currently offer a tour every Saturday at two o'clock.

Um, and the uh the cost of the tour is $25.

Um, historic Bethlehem keeps all the revenue from those uh tours.

HBMS, I'm sorry.

And so if the if the if people are coming here for the World Heritage, um are they gonna be are they gonna have to pay something besides that 25 hour fee to toward their World Heritage sites?

Um no, not at that time, they just pay the fee for the tour, it's about a 60 to 90 minute tour.

And the profits goes to the historical board.

A historic Bethel Museums and sites keeps the profits right now because they provide the docents at this point in time, as we again are currently working on uh with the entire World Heritage Council, you know, what that operational structure will look like moving forward.

Um is there any is there any possibility that the three owners of the buildings could split the 150,000 fee and not just the city?

Um so Moravian University will already be contributing towards the site manager position in other ways, as I mentioned, like insurance, and this will not cover her entire salary.

Um and Bethlehem Area Moravians, they spend about 120,000 a year um keeping up their buildings that are part of the site, just part of the site and maintaining the grounds.

So they will and they have will have promised that in perpetuity as well.

Bethlehem Mary Moravians also sponsored our World Heritage Celebration, um, sponsored about $5,000.

And I would say just in the past few months, uh probably close to another five thousand dollars in marketing.

So everybody's trying to pick up here and there to contribute because we don't right now have uh you were not generating revenue and right.

So so the university is gonna be picking up the health care and the um about half of the salary as well.

And half the salary at least.

What's the salary?

I believe the salary is but she's considered a vice, the site manager is considered a vice president for World Heritage, um, which includes studies and also the um site, the site.

probably close to another five thousand dollars in marketing so everybody's trying to pick up right here and there to contribute because we don't right now have uh you we're not generating revenue and right so so so the university is going to be picking up the healthcare and the um about half of the salary as well and half the salary at least what's the salary i believe the salary is but she's considered a vice the site manager is considered a vice president for world heritage um which includes studies and also the um site the site so I believe I want to say it is 1700 I believe so she has um again but she's considered vice president for world heritage and I I really need to check on that but is that 170 is that including the uh monies for the uh uh her insurance and uh I'm I'm not positive about that I don't believe so let me just make sure see I might have that see if I have that I didn't I didn't know that Moravyan was was trying to contribute some money for 175000 a year is her is her base salary is her base salary and then on top of that she's raving's paying the benefits and what else um any other benefits that come along with that besides health insurance and where's the other 2500 coming from we're we're giving her 150 but so we're giving 150 over two years so we're giving approximately I mean that would be a one-time payment so we're contributing 7500 towards our salary this year and 7500 next year if you want to think of it that way.

All right um so Moravian is picking up the rest of it and including support staff that will be doing monitoring and data reporting for UNESCO.

I did not know that so I apologize um I will be uh supporting it then because I didn't know that raving was uh was helping out in and I I thought it was a hundred and 1500 this year and then 1500 next year.

Yeah so you're saying it's 1500 total for two year period and ravings helping to support some of the the fees.

Yes.

All right that that's 100,000 a year before all the other the benefits package that that sounds a little fair to me.

So thank you.

I'm glad I was able to any other discussion more question I'm sorry just more questions I thought of do we have an idea how much the city has put toward the World Heritage site thus far how much we put toward so um in 2018 and in 2020 we contributed 25,000 um towards the work that Shirlene Donchess Mowers was doing with HBMS for the nomination and dossier.

And um besides that we have made some very uh I I have a an annual which just started I believe this past year $2,000 budget from the city for $2,000 to for expenses that come up some of that's used towards marketing some of that's used to just to some of the things we need um to try and promote our site and then we also I think I saw we also paid like $6000 in the last three years from the downtown initiative already toward it didn't we?

The 50 is what staff was referring to I saw in the memo that was 60 like 25 for three years we paid and then also um part of your salary for it is coming or all of it's coming from the city for the world height you're the coordinator position.

Okay so that and um did Moravian ask for the um contribution of 1500 no they did they did not ask for that as I mentioned on I think it was January 30th we had a meeting where we asked for um our partners um what they would be able and willing as we set up a new site uh or set up a operation site operations what they would be willing to contribute um and um what each partner would be able to contribute whether it was in kind services or some sort of monetary value and um they offered to host that position um and in the conversation of the um the meeting we had as it said that as a city we hoped to be able to support that in some way until the site gets off the ground so they didn't ask for and then they agreed to pay for the total amount of the position it sounds like correct the total amount okay so I guess I'm wondering like who whose idea was it then to put to give a donation or contribution toward it was it the mayor or the um it was it it was a combination of both because as we mentioned we're asking what each partner would be able to consider a fair share contribution.

So I did ask is there something we can do in support of the site um and really it's the model that we used as I mentioned before is we supported Shirlene Donchus Mowers in the dossier this is already something the city has done in support of our designation so the most likely um you know paths seem to also support um the current work of the site through a position um until we can get off the ground so um I asked uh Mr.

Evans if this was something that we could do considering we used the downtown initiative fee before or fund before to support that with this I kind of use that model.

Great.

Um, all right, that helps clarify.

Um, I still have concerns, like I said, because if they agreed to pay for the total position, and again, it's taxpayer money that's you know, in my mind, earmarks for the downtown initiatives, and there's so many things.

I know, you know, the sidewalks was just one thing that I brought it up because I have concerns about people falling, um, especially, you know, for for God forbid they get falled and they got hurt, but it's not going to be good for our tourism or the city.

Um, and I know the business is brought up like they just have so many more regulations in the historic district that they have to go by for the sidewalks, and it makes it more expensive, and they have more foot traffic than a residential homeowner.

Um, you know, and again, I'm thinking the businesses they went through COVID, that was a big hit.

They also have, you know, the garage was down the last year and a half, so they've said they've had less businesses.

So, you know, that's why I again I'm gonna be voting no, because I feel like that money is here, marked for the downtown initiative and the small businesses.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Any other discussion before we call the roll?

Thank you.

Mr.

Miller, please call the role.

Ms.

Queatech.

Aye, is Laird recused.

Ms.

Leon aye.

Ms.

Wilhelm.

Aye.

Mr.

Callahan?

Aye.

Ms.

Cramsey Smith.

Nay.

Mr.

Cologne.

Aye.

Pass 5-1 with one recusal 9B.

Counties of Lehigh and Northampton, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, amending the general fund budget for 2025.

Bill number 43, 2025 is sponsored by Ms.

Wilhelm and Ms.

Leon.

Discussion.

Call the role.

Ms.

Quietek.

Aye.

Ms.

Laird.

Aye.

Ms.

Leon.

Aye.

Ms.

Wilhelm.

Aye.

Ms.

Callahan.

Aye.

Ms.

Cramsey Smith.

Aye.

Mr.

Cologne.

I passed 7-0.

Continuing on to resolutions.

10A.

Resolved by the Council of the City of Bethlehem that the mayor and controller and and/or such other city officials is deemed appropriate by the city solicitor hereby authorized to execute an agreement with Grace Industries Incorporated to address erosion and hillside washout near the outfall on Monacassi Street.

Resolution is sponsored by Ms.

Wilhelm and Ms.

Leon.

Discussion.

Call the role.

Ms.

Quietek.

Aye.

Ms.

Laird.

Aye.

Ms.

Leon.

Aye.

Ms.

Wilhelm.

Aye.

Mr.

Callahan.

Aye.

Ms.

Gramscy Smith.

Aye.

And Mr.

Cologne.

I pass 7-0.

10 B.

Mr.

Cologne.

Yep.

I'd like to make a motion that we consider uh resolutions 10B through 10 F as a group, given that they are all you know, grant resolutions and similar in nature.

Motion on the floor to group 10B through 10 F.

Is there a second?

Second.

Second by Councilwoman Wilhelm.

Discussion on the motion.

Seeing none.

Mr.

Miller, please call the role on grouping 10B through 10 F together.

Ms.

Quietek.

Aye.

Ms.

Laird.

Aye.

Ms.

Leon.

Aye.

Ms.

Wilhelm.

Aye.

Callahan.

Ms.

Cramsey Smith.

Aye.

And Mr.

Cologne.

Aye.

Pass 7-0.

Mr.

Miller, if you could please read 10B through 10 F.

Be it resolved by the Council of the City of Bethlehem that the mayor is authorized and directed to execute all application forms necessary to apply for a Monroe County local share account grant through Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development to assist the Bethlehem Emergency Shelter.

Be it further resolved that the mayor and controller are authorized to execute such other agreements and documents as deemed appropriate and necessary and or related there too.

10 C.

Be it resolved by the Council of the City of Bethlehem that the mayor is authorized and directed to execute all application forms necessary to apply for a Lehigh and Northampton County local share account grant through the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development to assist the Bethlehem Emergency Shelter.

Be it further resolved that the mayor and controller are authorized to execute such other agreements and documents as are deemed to be necessary and/or related thereto.

10 D be it resolved by the Council of the City of Bethlehem that the mayor is authorized and directed to execute all application forms necessary to apply for a Lehigh and Northampton County local share account grant through the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.

To assist with the construction of West Broad Street, be further resolved that the mayor and controller are authorized to execute such other agreements and documents as are deemed to be necessary and or related there too.

10E.

Resolved by the Council of the City of Bethlehem that the mayor is authorized and directed to execute all application forms necessary to apply for redevelopment assistance capital program grant through the community through the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to assist the Bethlehem Emergency Shelter.

Be further resolved that the mayor is authorized to execute such other agreements and documents as are deemed to be necessary and or related there too.

And 10 F be it resolved by the Council of the City of Bethlehem.

The mayor is authorized and directed to execute all application forms necessary to apply for redevelopment assistance capital program grant through the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to assist the South Side Community Center.

Be it further resolved that the mayor is authorized to execute such other agreements and documents as are deemed to be necessary and/or related there too.

These resolutions are sponsored by Ms.

Wilhelm and Ms.

Leon.

Discussion on the group.

Sorry, thank you.

Um there's another councilwoman right there, and sometimes I don't know if you're recognizing me.

I just wanted to say that there's 3.6 million dollars in requests for the Bethlehem emergency sheltering among those resolutions.

And uh I'm wishing the city um uh the applications all the best, all the fingers crossed.

Um that that those are successful, as well as the five million dollars for the um community center and the and the money for the West Broad Street, but especially um being aggressive and going after those funds since we know that to create to turn the shelter into a non-congregate shelter with you know all the facilities that it needs is such an expensive undertaking.

Um so best of luck.

Thank you.

Any other discussion?

I I just had one quick question, Miss Collins or whomever.

But what what's the anticipated timeline of when uh awards are determined?

Like when would we know for whether it's the LSAs or the RCAB money?

Um so the LSA is a little bit more regular, so for this, there's two different LSA buckets, but the ones that we're applying for here are the county funds.

Um, and so usually we will hear about those like nine nine-ish months.

Um, our cap is much more variable and very like politically dependent.

So um it that that one is more up in the air, particularly and budget dependent.

Well, hopefully it has budget.

Thank you.

Thank you, Ms.

Collins.

I didn't have any other questions.

Anything else from members council before we call the roll?

Mr.

Miller, Ms.

Quietek, aye, Ms.

Laird, aye, Ms.

Leone, aye, Ms.

Wilhelm, aye, Callahan, aye, Ms.

Cramcy Smith, aye, and Mr.

Cologne.

Aye, pass seven zero ten G.

It resolved by the council of the city of Bethlehem that the mayor and controller and/or such other city officials is deemed appropriate by the city solicitor are hereby authorized to execute an amendment to an agreement with Grace Industries Incorporated to provide additional materials and labor for the friendship park improvements project.

Resolution is sponsored by Ms.

Wilhelm and Ms.

Leon.

Discussion call the role.

Ms.

Quieteks Laird Ms.

Leon Ms.

Wilhelm Callahan Ms.

Crampsy Smith, aye and Mr.

Cologne.

I pass 70, 10 each.

It resolved by the council of the city of Bethlehem that the mayor and controller andor such other city officials is deemed appropriate by the city solicitor or hereby authorized to execute an agreement with five rivers fabrication incorporated to the design to construct and install a metal sign.

Resolution is sponsored by Ms.

Wilhelm and Ms.

Leon.

Discussion.

Councilwoman Wilhelm.

Quick question.

I'm not actually sure if there's anybody here to answer it.

I was curious to know, or just to clarify.

We selected the fabricator, the artist, but not the design.

All three parts.

Okay.

So in just reading through the um memo, that the there is a committee, including the fine arts commission, who will approve the design throughout this process as well.

So the design itself in theory was presented and selected.

Yes.

And then what will the process of design approval look like between now and completion?

So I there were recent conversations, and I believe most recently they said like a 2D rendering would be sufficient for the fine arts commission to do like its final review, and they'd sign off on that, and then they would be ready to go and actually you know build the art.

Okay.

Yeah.

That's all I wanted to know.

Sure.

Thank you.

I appreciate it.

Any other discussion?

Call the role, Mr.

Miller.

Ms.

Quiet.

Aye.

Ms.

Laird.

Aye.

Ms.

Leon.

Aye.

Ms.

Wilhelm.

Aye.

Mr.

Callahan.

Aye.

Ms.

Gramsci Smith.

Aye.

Mr.

Cologne.

I pass 70.

10.

I resolved by the Council of the City of Bethlehem that the mayor and controller andor such other city officials is deemed appropriate by the city solicitor are hereby authorized to execute agreement with Herbert Rowland and Grubick Incorporated to provide design services for the Greenway Trail Phase 7 improvement.

Resolution is sponsored by Ms.

Wilhelm and Ms.

Leone.

Discussion.

Call roll.

Ms.

Quiet.

Aye.

Ms.

Laird.

Aye.

Ms.

Leon.

Aye.

Wilhelm.

Aye.

Callahan.

Aye.

Ms.

Crampsy Smith.

Aye.

Mr.

Cologne.

Aye.

Pass 70.

10 J.

Certificate of Appropriateness under the provisions of the Act of the Pennsylvania Legislature.

Bethlehem Resolution is hereby granted for 441 High Street to replace existing roof shingles on the rear portion of the roof.

Resolution is sponsored by Ms.

Wilhelm and Ms.

Leon.

Discussion.

Call a roll.

Ms.

Quirtech.

Aye.

Ms.

Laird.

Aye.

Ms.

Leone.

Aye.

Ms.

Wilhelm.

Aye.

Mr.

Callahan.

Aye.

Ms.

Gramsci Smith.

Aye.

Mr.

Cologne.

Aye.

Pass 7-0.

And finally, 10K.

Certificate of appropriateness under the provisions of the Act of the Pennsylvania Legislature.

Bethlehem Resolution is hereby granted for 36 East Wall Street to remove the slate roofing that fronts on Wall Street and replace it with GAF slate line shingles in the antique slate color.

Resolution is sponsored by Ms.

Wilhelm and Ms.

Leone.

Discussion.

Call roll.

Ms.

Quitek.

Aye.

Ms.

Laird.

Aye.

Ms.

Leone.

Aye.

Ms.

Wilhelm.

Aye.

Mr.

Callahan.

Aye.

Ms.

Crampsy Smith.

Aye.

And Mr.

Cologne.

Aye.

Pass 70.

That concludes tonight's agenda.

I'll remind everyone there are five Tuesdays in September, so enjoy the extra week, extra week off.

Get home safely, everyone.

This meeting is adjourned.