Paw Prints on the Canal leader Candi Lynn and members of her team attended the Aug. 7 Northampton Borough Council meeting to report on the annual event, which was held in the borough’s Canal Street Park in June.

Paw Prints on the Canal has run for 16 years, Lynn noted. It is a large gathering of dog and cat aficionados, with numerous vendors offering different services and items. Music, a pageant for dogs and their owners, music, food and more serve as highlights.

The annual event is supported by the Northampton police and fire departments as well as borough elected and administrative leaders.

Paw Prints on the Canal has raised more than $113,000 to support the Northampton Police Department K-9 program. Lynn and her team presented a check to Officer Geoffrey Perry and his canine partner Chico in the amount of $11,500 for this year.

Chico is a Belgian Malinois who joined the police force in April 2023. This dog breed is highly trainable and excels in activities like herding, police work and search and rescue.

Council, the mayor and administration thanked Lynn and her team for their dedication and perseverance to financially assist the borough’s police K-9 program.

In other business, council adopted resolution 9-25, authorizing the adoption of the Lehigh Valley 2025 Hazard Mitigation Plan in the borough. Now the borough can receive emergency benefits from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and its Pennsylvania counterpart, PEMA, in the event of a local disaster.

The borough opened a bid for an elaborate fire training prop for the Northampton Fire Department. The bid was in the amount of $121,250. Acceptance will occur after the borough’s solicitor reviews the bid to ascertain if it is a properly completed bid, meeting the borough’s needs. A Local Share Account grant is paying $120,000 of the cost of the prop and its installation costs.

Council granted permission for the borough’s administrative office to advertise ordinance 1240, amending the language for Knox Box requirements for certain structures within the borough. A Knox Box is a small, wall-mounted safe that holds building keys for fire departments, emergency medical services and sometimes police for emergency situations.

Local fire departments hold master keys to all Knox Boxes in their response area, enabling them to quickly enter buildings without having to force entry or find individual keys held in deposit in the fire station.

In her building, land and recreation committee report, Councilwoman Judy Haldeman noted the Northampton Municipal Pool will be closing for the season Aug. 17.

In his public works and sewer committee report, council Vice President Ronald Glassic noted new signs have been placed in parking lots throughout the borough. These signs were ordered after the passage of ordinance 1239, limiting after-hours parking in borough parking lots and the types of vehicles permitted to park there.

Glassic asked for clarification from borough Manager Brian Welsko, who responded saying tractor-trailers are not allowed to park in borough lots, including the cab without a trailer, commonly known as a Bobtail.

Glassic also announced he was contacted by a Boy Scout troop seeking potential Eagle Scout projects in the borough. The borough office said they would follow up with the request.

When asked by Glassic, Welsko said a list of streets for repaving in the fall is being assembled by his office.

Junior Councilmember Xuan Lam said she began a student-led campaign at Northampton Area High School to promote and highlight small business in the community. Her team, from the NAHS Volunteer Committee and more, hope to strengthen the relationship between small businesses and students. They are planning to highlight one or two businesses monthly.

Welsko announced there will be many detours in the Fourth Ward that are expected to continue through the rest of 2025 and extend deeply into 2026 as the bridge replacement project advances and other construction projects start in the area. He expects a section of Canal Street, near the 21st Street bridge replacement project, will be closed from Aug. 18 to Oct. 20.

The Fourth Ward encompasses the areas around Newport and Canal streets. The area was previously called Laubachsville in the 19th century, before incorporating into Northampton Borough.

The next Northampton Borough Council meeting is set for 7 p.m. Aug. 21 at the municipal building, 1401 Laubach Ave. It is a hybrid meeting, with both in-person and virtual options. Visit northamptonboro.com to review the meeting’s agenda and access to the meeting virtually.