By SARIT LASCHINSKY

Special to The Press

During their Feb. 18 virtual board meeting, Heidelberg Township supervisors were joined by Lehigh County Executive Phillips Armstrong, who was sitting in as part of his yearly local municipal meeting tour.

He provided the board with an update on county activities.

Armstrong said the county recently finished distributions of its CARES Act COVID-19 funding.

“I think we did a good job of doing it as fair as possible,” Armstrong said. “We did it with the municipalities on population and population alone.

“That way, we didn’t get into anybody accusing us of favoritism to anybody.”

Armstrong also noted he had been elected or appointed to two national organizations including the National Association of Regional Councils Board of Directors, where he represents the Northeastern United States.

He said the positions allow him to discuss issues with members of the federal government, including newly-confirmed Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.

Armstrong told supervisors a new bill is working its way through the U.S. House of Representatives.

“If it passes in its form, it is going to give direct relief to counties, along with direct relief to cities with populations of 50,000 or more people,” Armstrong said.

He said for smaller municipalities, their relief funds would be distributed through Community Development Block Grants.

Armstrong said Lehigh was one of only a few counties which assisted its emergency responders with funding distributions through the CARES Act.

He added the county recently received $11.5 million to help with rent and housing assistance.

The county is working with the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission to identify the areas requiring housing assistance, and is partnering with Catholic Charities and the Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley to handle distributions, Armstrong explained.

“With the CARES Act, we may move slower than others but we try to make sure every dollar definitely benefited people,” Armstrong said.

In other matters, he said the county had expanded its farmland preservation program to include more than 300 farms, and in the process had become the third-ranked county in Pennsylvania in terms of preserved farmland.

Armstrong deemed the move necessary to keep Lehigh’s rural areas in pristine condition.

Board Chairman Steve Bachman thanked Armstrong for the farmland preservation program, noting its significant impact and importance to the township.

“Out here, it feels like that is the biggest benefit that we get from the county because we want to keep Heidelberg Township, Heidelberg Township,” Bachman said. “We don’t want to see what’s happening elsewhere.”

Fellow Supervisor David Fink asked about possible funding for township infrastructure, noting at least one bridge in Heidelberg needs replacement.

Armstrong said in his conversations with Buttigieg, whom he characterized as coming from a municipal background, he had emphasized the critical need of establishing a funding source for infrastructure.

“They realize it’s been a long time since we’ve gotten any money for infrastructure repair, and it’s coming about now with safety concerns.”

Germansville Fire Chief Jay Scheffler thanked Armstrong for providing materials and funds to first responders, and also inquired about actions the county could take to promote participation and recruitment for volunteer fire companies, as Scheffler said volunteer levels are decreasing.

Armstrong agreed low membership and recruitment is a countywide problem.

He said it may be possible to include information on the Lehigh County website or make note of volunteer service in his weekly webcasts.

Armstrong said there are numerous job openings in the county, such as at the jail and in nursing facilities, which remain unfilled as well.

“I can’t get anybody,” Armstrong said. “It’s a difficult time for that.”

Overall, he commended the level of communication and cooperation between local governments and municipalities in Lehigh County, an arrangement Armstrong said transcended political affiliations.

“I’m really proud of that, I really am,” Armstrong said.