The Dewey Fire Company celebrated the reinstatement of its Fire Police division, as a new captain and officer were sworn in at the Sept. 20 Hellertown Council meeting. To kick off the brief ceremony Chief Matthew Simkovic introduced Brandon Miller as the new officer officer, with Mayor David Heintzelman doing the honors of swearing Miller in.

Next, Simkovic introduced incoming fire police captain and current fire Lieutenant Chris Miller, a department veteran of two years whom the chief credited with helping see the restoration of the division to fruition. Miller was unable to be present due to concurrent department-related activities.

“As you can see over the past six months, we’ve got a sizable fire police squad now… we have five active members at this time,” Simkovic said, adding that the department is hoping to keep growing. The council unanimously approved both nominees.

Noelle Kramer with the Hellertown Area Library joined the meeting to provide a brief update on its 2020 Annual Report. With COVID-19 affecting library operations for the majority of the year, she reported a 30% decrease in physical interactions with patrons, but about the same increase in online and virtual patronage. She reminded the council that September is Library Card Sign-Up Month and welcomed the community to come and see what the HAL has to offer.

The previous meeting’s proposal from owner Clete Landis of the Star Pre-Owned car dealership, in which he asked the borough to consider vacating the portions of Oak Alley and Hemlock Street which sit behind his business, appeared on the evening’s agenda as promised.

Landis wishes to fully integrate into his dealership the recently-purchased parcel which falls between the two streets, he said. After some debate due to a nearby resident’s traffic concerns, only council President Thomas Rieger voted against moving forward with the motion. The proposal will now be publicly advertised and a subsequent hearing will be held before further action is taken by the council.

The council also approved the appointment of Liz Thompson to the borough’s Planning Commission, upon their recommendation. The term, left vacant due to the August death of commissioner Dave Kuhns, expires at the end of 2024.

Thompson is an eight-year resident of Hellertown and works as a senior client/project manager for Educational Testing Services. Her background includes eight years in the U.S. Marine Corps and degrees in electrical engineering and education.