During the Aug. 18 Catasauqua Borough Council meeting, there was continued discussion, with disagreement, about the potential of replacing the borough’s K-9. In May, the borough lost its K-9 Zora due to a medical issue. Police Chief John Wiseman has been serving as the K-9 handler for the past 16 years.

Councilman Brian Bartholomew brought up the issue, asking about interest in bringing in a new K-9. He said they already have all the equipment needed, and Wiseman said the department not only wants a K-9 but has a specific one identified, trained and ready. Wiseman also offered to fundraise for the dog to help alleviate the borough of the financial responsibility.

“We had one before, so why not get another?” Bartholomew asked.

Council President Howard Cunningham noted the issue should be discussed in executive session since it involves contract discussions.

Bartholomew continued, saying he doesn’t want to discuss the specifics, just wanted to gauge interest.

He and Cunningham went back and forth a few times on the matter, prompting other council members to mention they should just drop the topic and discuss it later behind doors.

Earlier in the meeting, resident Sean O’Boyle mentioned the White House named Lehigh County a high-intensity drug trafficking area in July 2023. He noted K-9 officers are helpful in this regard and asked council to keep it in mind during their discussions.

With frustrations already rising, a discussion about the homeless population and a possible anti-camping ordinance derailed the meeting for a few minutes. Councilwoman Jill Smerdon brought up the topic and said there are more homeless individuals coming into town.

Councilwoman Virginia Schlegel emphasized the importance of treating these people as humanely as possible and finding ways to help instead of just moving them.

Borough Treasurer Deanna Decker shared her repeated experiences with an alleged homeless individual at borough hall in an effort to demonstrate the need for greater response. Decker said they tried to involve the police department but received no assistance, citing a lack of “no trespassing” signage at the building.

When Schlegel said she “finds that hard to believe,” Decker responded angrily. Tensions, and vocal volume, rose as a back-and-forth continued between the two for a few minutes.

Borough residents in the audience spoke up, asking Cunningham to intervene and put an end to the argument.

“Bang the gavel” was shouted from the audience.

The issue was wrapped up and put to rest with no action or results.

Solicitor Chuck Smith did mention the “homeless issue” and anti-camping legislation is complicated and needs to be handled carefully.

In other business, council voted to table a relief request for the Dery Mansion property. The owner is hoping for relief from the requirement for a commercial fire alarm system. It was noted the financial cost of needing to upgrade the system is a major cause of concern for the owner, particularly regarding the age and style of the building.

The owner already installed a high-level residential system, meeting certain required criteria. It was reported a number of professionals, such as the fire inspector, code official and fire chief, say the system is adequate. It was noted there was a recent incident, which set off the alarm, and it worked properly.

Councilman Eugene Schlegel brought up a concern the borough may be held liable if something were to go wrong since it relaxed the standards for this property.

Smith said council could reach out and see if the property owner would be interested in signing a document indemnifying the borough in case of incident.

Eugene Schlegel made a motion to table the request until they have indemnification from the property owner. The motion to table passed in a 4-3 vote. Councilmembers voting against tabling noted the property owner has already been waiting for this relief and didn’t want him to have to put plans on hold any longer.

“We need to work with these businesses trying to make an honest go of it in our community,” Councilwoman Kim Brubaker said.

It was reported there are still vacancies on the borough code board of appeals. Smith noted these vacancies are keeping the board from meeting and making it a challenge for residents who want to make an appeal. This Dery Mansion issue would normally go through this board, but a lack of members leaves the issue difficult to solve. This is why he presented it as a resolution to council.

Ordinance 1449, regarding guidelines and standard operating procedure for warrantless arrests for some lower-level crimes, was approved. Smith noted this is a part of the requirements for the accreditation process.

Smith reported they are in the process of crafting an ordinance detailing the borough manager’s duties.

Council also approved handicapped parking signage for 133 Second St. and 205 S. Front St.

Virginia Schlegel read a commendation for Walter Winch, whose family recently made a donation to the borough to upgrade the basketball court at Catasauqua Park and Playground. The commendation detailed many of Winch’s accomplishments, including being a member of Catasauqua High School’s 1,000 Point Club.

Council also approved the new land development agreement for the Pearl Street project. The previous owner and developer — Greenwood Builders LLC — approached council in June about transferring the project to a new owner.

Valleywide Builders LLC was named as the prospective new owner. The plan is for Valleywide to “step into the shoes” of Greenwood and follow the recorded, previously agreed upon plan exactly.

“We’re not looking to change anything,” Bruce Ritter, of Valleywide Builders LLC, said.

Smith and Valleywide’s attorney went back and forth with the appropriate paperwork and protocols to make the switch official and to create the new land development agreement. With the nod of approval from Smith, council unanimously voted on the agreement.

Borough Manager Glenn Eckhart presented the finished capital plan for 2025-34. He noted there is no financial obligation attached to this plan, but it will serve as a road map for projects for the next 10 years. He said it is beneficial for the borough to have a clear plan of needs to help inform budgeting in the future.

Brian White, director of public works, gave an update on the work being done by Keystone Consulting Engineers. This includes grant support with Community Development Block Grant and PENNVEST Water System Improvement Grant applications, water system valuation and continued support for water system treatment operations as needed, a wastewater treatment plant gate and check valve replacement extension due to delivery times, demolition of the wastewater treatment plant pole building and more.

Vanessa Nedrick’s engineer report noted the Bridge Street streetscape project was delayed by UGI but is proceeding; the Lehigh Valley International Airport/Main Street drainage issue is being addressed; and they are extending the Walnut Street paving project due to an excess of funds. She noted they reached the original stopping point for the paving, but there were still grant funds available, so they will continue paving until they use it all.

The Race Street parking lot had its barricades removed and appropriate signage has been installed. The lot is for permit parking only, and applications are ready at borough hall. Nedrick has also requested a pedestrian plan from Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

The 14th Street park project hit a snag. Nedrick reported the borough already purchased and received the playground equipment, but the prices being requested for site work and asphalt are above what was originally discussed. Nedrick reported they will not pay a large markup on the product, so she is exploring alternatives and possible solutions.

Smerdon asked for an update on the COVID-19 funds question. The borough had to provide evidence about how the COVID-19 funds given to the borough were used. Eckhart reported the funds were used to pay bills, which was not one of the approved uses. Due to this usage, the borough may have to pay back the money.

Eckhart said they have the money, but it will impact the taxpayers. According to Eckhart, if they need to return those funds, the tax break he was hoping to give to the residents would be impossible. While discussing the issue, councilmembers and Eckhart shared their frustrations with having to deal with from the alleged actions of the former administration. Some councilmembers asked why no action has been taken against those who reportedly misused these funds.

According to Eckhart and Decker, they are still waiting to hear back if those funds will need to be repaid.

A resident came before council on behalf of First Presbyterian Church of Catasauqua. He reported the church had a water leak no one knew about, leading to a large bill. He said they sent a letter to the borough and wanted to discuss repayment options. Councilmembers and Eckhart said they never saw any letter from the church. The resident produced a copy to give to council, and they agreed to look into the issue.

Due to the Labor Day holiday, the workshop and committee meetings are moved to 6 p.m. Sept. 2. The next regular council meeting is 7 p.m. Sept. 15. All meetings are held at 90 Bridge St.