40¢
70th Year, Issue No. 14 USPS 248-700
APRIL 7-13, 2011 A General Circulation Newspaper Serving The Community Since 1942
SERVING BATH, CHAPMAN, NORTHAMPTON, NAZARETH BOROS; ALLEN, E. ALLEN, MOORE, LEHIGH, BUSHKILL, LOWER NAZARETH & UPPER NAZARETH TWPS.
Recycling to change in Bath; Council discusses law updates By BILL HALBFOERSTER The Home News
SACRED HEART children looking at eggs they are hoping to hatch as chicks. –Contributed photo
Local students in Egg to Chick Project
Which came first? The chicken or the egg? Two groups of students in Bath are finding out in a special 4-H project. Students in third grade at George Wolf Elementary School in Bath are learning about life-cycles as a part of their science curriculum. As a hands-on life-cycle lesson, students are a part of the Penn State Cooperative Extension of Northampton County project entitled “Embryology: Egg to Chick.” On Monday, March 28, the students were introduced to the program and explained their classroom responsibility. Each of the three classrooms received an incubator and 12 fertilized eggs.
For the first week of the project, the students mimicked the action of a hen by rotating the eggs a half turn every hour they were in school. The 4-H embryology project also came to the Kindergarten class at Sacred Heart School. Mr. Miller, Program Assistant, brought an incubator, twelve fertile eggs, feeder and feed, and water fountain. He presented a lesson, showed a DVD, and placed the eggs in the incubator. The children are anxious to see when the eggs will hatch. Mr. Miller will return to the school in two weeks after the eggs have hatched, remove the chicks and transport them to a farm in Northampton county.
Easter egg hunt April 16 Saturday, April 16 will be a special day for local children. At 11:00 am the annual Easter egg hunt will be held in the field next to Ahart’s Market. Participating organizations include Boy Scout Troop 33, Cub Pack 33, Girl Scouts from Christ Church, and St. John’s Lutheran Church. The 2400 eggs will be colored at St. John’s Church by Boy Scout Troop 33 and Cub Pack 33.
Four age groups in the hunt include: walking-3 years, 4–6 years, 7-9 years, 10-12 years. The Easter Bunny will arrive on a fire truck courtesy of Bath Firefighters The prizes for each age group consist of savings bonds, Easter baskets, chocolate bunnies. The Ahart Market coloring contest for kids winners will be picked and prizes given to conclude the event.
Two topics received the most attention as Bath Borough Council held its monthly meeting on Monday night: A change in the recycling program and updates on the zoning and subdivision and land development ordinances. A representative of J. P. Mascaro & Sons, the present refuse hauling contractor, presented a new plan for disposal of newspapers, cans, plastic and colored bottles – single stream recycling. Ever since the borough joined in the state’s recycling program several years ago, these items were separated. But in a new system approved on Monday, single stream recycling will begin on June 1, and the recycling pickup day will change to Wednesdays. Containers of 25 to 30 gallons will be allowed to hold
paper, recyclable glass, cans, and plastic, all in one container. Council was told by the Mascaro representative that it will make it easier for residents to recycle, and he predicted it could increase by as much as 40 %. Already, Bath residents put eight pounds out on average each week, an amount that is better than most other communities. Mascaro has a landfill in Birdsboro, Pa., and a transfer station in North Whitehall Township, Lehigh County. The company will provide new containers at no charge. Councilwoman Jennifer George also noted a possible program on recycling to get students in school excited and educated about recycling. Ordinance Updates The ordinance book is being codified to bring local laws up to date. It took a lot of time and effort by the Bath
Planning Commission until the project was completed with the help of a committee of Council. The zoning officer, Dennis Huth, may also be asked to provide input. The zoning ordinance needs to be indexed, Councilman Robert Kearns said, so that each section is easy to find. He also asked that parking places be listed on paper, making them available for possible rental. Council president Robert Fields said parking restrictions should be relaxed to encourage more businesses to open in Bath. A hearing is scheduled on the proposed zoning and SALDO documents at the May 2 Council meeting. Both hearings will be advertised by solicitor Blake Marles. Other Matters • Louise “Gigi” Kahler asked Council and Borough Continued on page 9
People donating funds to improve Northampton war memorial For the past few months, much effort has gone into repairing and updating the veterans memorial plot at the intersection of 14th St. & Washington Ave. & Dewey Ave. in Northampton. The plot, which includes a permanent monument, and on Memorial Day is filled with hundreds of crosses dedicated to the men and women who have served and in many cases sacrificed their lives in the armed forces of the United States, is having extensive groundwork done to it. Flags, flag pole work and flag replacements, along with cleaning and painting of bricks with names of veterans, deceased and living, are all part of the project. Mayor Thomas Reenock said it will all be completed by the time Memorial Day is celebrated in May. The Veterans Memorial Plot is sponsored by the Northampton Joint Veterans – Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #4714, Catholic War Veterans Post #454, and American Legion Post #353. Each of those posts is accepting donations towards this extensive project, and recently members of Borough Council expressed their
BRICKS are stacked up and ready to place in front of the permanent memorial at Dewey & Lincoln Aves. in the borough. Winter weather delayed work on the project, but it will all be completed in time for Memorial Day at the end of May. – Home News photo appreciation for the significant contributions already received that will make it a beautiful memorial, and one which will last for generations to come. If you would like to donate funds toward the restoration project, make checks payable to the Northampton Joint Veterans Memo-
rial Fund. Send the checks to any of these three addresses: Northampton VFW Post 4714, 1204 Main St.; Catholic War Veterans Post 454, P.O. Box 186, or American Legion Post 353, 1469 Dewey Ave., all in the Borough of Northampton, PA 18067. Individuals and businesses Continued on page 17
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