At the Feb. 5 Northampton Borough Council meeting, council president, vice president, administration and the mayor offered a blizzard of thank yous to the public works department, the Northampton Municipal Water Authority and Horwith Trucking for their efforts to address the major snowstorm that hit the area at the end of January.

Each council member, including the junior council member, expressed gratitude for the collective effort to make the borough as safe as possible for the residents as they tried to return to work and school and care for their families.

Council President Julia Kutzler thanked the public works department for their many hours of work, changing their eight-hour shift to 12-hour shifts. She said the staff sacrificed time with their families and worked many hours when exhausted. She said she is grateful for these dedicated public workers and the residents who helped their neighbors bring in their garbage cans and help with snow removal.

Northampton Mayor Anthony Pristash also extended thanks to the public works department for “an extraordinary response to an extraordinary storm.” He added they did a great job considering the borough has about 30 miles of streets to plow. He thanked the public works department for working the 12-hour shifts and doing whatever it took to get the streets plowed and the job done.

Pristash noted, when he went around the borough, he saw neighbors helping elderly residents, disabled residents and others who just needed help with shoveling and clearing snow on their property. Pristash said what he saw was what he proudly calls “the spirit of Northampton.”

In other business, council appointed Matt Ackerman as a light equipment operator in the public works department. Colyn Gerstenberg was appointed to be the next parks and pool foreman. Council also appointed Josh Abraham to the position of crew chief for the public works department.

Council appointed Tiffany Crush to a four-year term on the borough’s zoning hearing board that expires Dec. 31, 2029.

Council approved a recommendation by the borough’s planning commission to allow a lot-line adjustment on a property at 1302 Barrington Drive.

The Northampton Exchange Club requested and received council permission to hold its annual Northampton Community Days Fair July 15-18.

The organizers of the Wheels on the Canal received permission to use Canal Street Park and the borough’s portable band trailer May 16 for the annual car show.

In his administration and finance committee report, Councilman Kenneth Hall said appointments are available for tax preparation through AARP at the borough’s recreation center, 1 Lerchenmiller Drive. Appointments can be made 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Mondays until April 13. An appointment is required for tax-filing assistance.

Councilman Trevor Stone, in his code and police committee report, reminded residents with a fire hydrant on their property need to shovel a 3-foot area around it.

In his public works and sewer committee report, council Vice President Ronald Glassic acknowledged the public works and sewer staff worked nonstop to remove the snow that accumulated during the recent snowstorm. He thanked all the staff for their hard work over the last few weeks.

Glassic also provided a big thank you to NBMA, Horwith Trucking and Harbinger of Hauling for their help with snow removal throughout the borough.

“Without their time and dedication, we would be behind schedule with snow removal,” Glassic said.

The next Northampton Borough Council meeting is set for 7 p.m. Feb. 19 in 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 to access the meeting virtually.