The first Hellertown Council meeting of the new year, held virtually Jan. 4 and broadcast live via the borough’s Facebook page, was an eventful one with two construction-related issues in the borough addressed among other business.

A construction proposal for a new Public Works Department garage in the area of the old Rinehard School on Northampton Street, which “has been on the docket for decades” according to council President Thomas Rieger, raised concerns from a few citizens due to its potential impact on the neighborhood’s property values, aesthetics and more.

Local residents Matthew Ferrante, Bill Broun and Richard Weddigan shared their respective concerns about the proposal, which would house municipal vehicles such as snowplows, maintenance trucks and the like. The additional truck traffic “would add a loud, destructive noisiness to the neighborhood,” Broun suggested. However, Rieger defended the plan by indicating that the need for the new facility is greatly overdue and invited them to dial in to the council’s next meeting, scheduled for Jan. 19, to hear discussions on the plan in further detail.

Discussion was also held on a long-proposed multi-use office/apartment building project at 330 Linden Ave., the site of the former Triple Al dry-cleaning business. The proposal has been through several alterations since it was first presented to the Hellertown Planning Commission in late 2019 due to a few concerns, particularly the availability of parking on and around the property.

Sean Burke with developer Stella Cadente Investments LLC of Bethlehem joined the meeting to explain some of the changes made to the plan and answer questions from council members. Ultimately, the council seemed to be satisfied with the revised plan and voted unanimously to grant three necessary waivers which were previously denied, as well as to approve the plan.

Additionally, Mayor David Heintzelman briefly addressed the meeting regarding the status of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. “Please wear your mask. It’s not getting any better out there,” he said. Rieger added, as he works full-time in the healthcare field, he recently received the first dose of the COVID vaccine. “When your time is up, I highly recommend that you do so,” he said. He also urged everybody to continue supporting local businesses, particularly during the upcoming Hellertown-Lower Saucon Winter Restaurant Week (scheduled for the week of Jan. 17) and praised business owners’ efforts to keep the community safe throughout the pandemic.