The Home News Your Local News
FEBRUARY 17-23, 2022
50 cents
Class #78 of Northampton County Corrections Officers
First row (left to right): Marie Richardson, Kayla Sodl, Craig Radzion, Rashonda Charles, Breana Seiders, and Manuel McKittrick. Back row (left to right): Brody Keefe, Nikos Balkit, Alan Tronchin, Amy Ferreira, Brady Anderson, and Tyler Todora-Cope. Submitted by Academy for the Northampand badges on Friday, FebruBECKY BARTLETT ton County Department of ary 4 during a ceremony at Lamont McClure congratuCorrections. The 12 graduthe Northampton County lates Class #78 of the Training ates received their certificates Prison.
Nazareth School Board Clarifies health and Safety plan options by JOE KORBA Nazareth Superintendent, Dr. Dennis Riker, clarified some of the changes being made to the district’s health and safety plan at the February 8 meeting of the Nazareth Area School Board. A vote passed at the last board meeting to remove a mask mandate in the schools, excluding district buses and the nurse’s suite. Masks are now encouraged and recommended, but not mandated. There will be no changes to social distancing indoors, hand sanitation is available and encouraged and classrooms will still be cleaned and sanitized regularly. According to Riker, a survey of parents in the district revealed that 60 to 70 percent of respondents were in favor of the changes to the health and safety plan. Around 90 percent of respondents said that vaccines should be optional, as reflected by the district’s policy: vaccines will not
be required, proof of vaccination will not be asked for and the district will not offer vaccination clinics. If families need assistance finding a vaccination site, school nurses will provide that information. The new plan calls for the cafeteria to return to a pre-covid normal. Riker also presented two options for a policy in place of contract tracing. Option A requires reporting positive cases to the Pennsylvania Department of Health (PA DOH) and a five-day quarantine for household close contacts, a five-day quarantine for someone with symptoms awaiting test results and a fiveday conditional quarantine for positive cases. A person who has tested positive may return after five days if asymptomatic and a face covering is recommended. Option B requires reporting to Continued on page 3
Public hearing between Allen Flood announces State grants for local Township and Willowbrook Farms Emergency responders Scheduled for February 22 Submitted by JORDAN GARRETT Fifteen fire and emergency medical services (EMS) companies in the 138th Legislative District were awarded more than $178,000 in funding support through the 2021-22 Pennsylvania Fire Company and Emergency Medical Service Grant Program, Rep. Ann Flood (RNorthampton) announced last week. “These hard-working and dedicated volunteers answer the call whenever an emergency strikes in our communities, and we are grateful for their service,” said Flood. “I am pleased so many organizations in our area continue to apply for this state assistance, which helps to offset their costs at a time when fundraising has proven to be difficult.” Following is a list of fire and
EMS organizations in the 138th Legislative District that received grants and the amount of the awards: • Bath Volunteer Firefighters and Ambulance Corps Inc. – $13,165. • Bethlehem Township Volunteer Fire Company Inc. – $15,000. • Bethlehem Township Volunteer Fire Company Inc. (EMS) – $8,325. • Bushkill Township Volunteer Fire Company – $15,000. • Bushkill Township Volunteer Fire Company (EMS) – $8,325. • East Allen Township Fire Department – $10,000. • East Allen Township Volunteer Ambulance Corps – $8,325. • Hanover Township Volunteer Fire Company – $15,000. Continued on page 11
By KERI LINDENMUTH A public hearing between Allen Township and Willowbrook Farms will be held on February 22 at 7 p.m. This hearing comes after the township’s planning commission recommended two draft ordinances to resolve zoning challenges filed by Willowbrook Farms in May 2019. In 2019, Willowbrook Farms and the Fuller Family Trust requested a curative amendment to allow the developers to build low-density properties for multifamily use across 80 acres, along with 55 acres of 55-and-older properties. The entire plan called for 800 units, including duplexes, townhomes, and three-story apartment buildings. At the time, Allen Township supervisors worried about the density of the area and the safety of the three-story buildings.
Gene Clater, a former member of the township’s planning commission for over 40 years, spoke before the township’s board of supervisors during their February 8 meeting. He asked that supervisors consider where the Willowbrook Road bridge falls into the new agreement with developers. When the current warehouses along Willowbrook Road were still in development, Clater said the former board decided against a three-lane bridge. However, an increase in traffic from the Willowbrook Farms development will make an improvement necessary. “What is being done to ensure that traffic [from the apartments] does not become a problem with that bridge?” he asked. He recommended the board add expanding the bridge as a condition for developers.
“Look at that bridge when you have a developer on the hook,” he said. “You know this [traffic] is coming.” Truck traffic issues were also discussed during the February 8 meeting. The township has reached out to the state regarding dump truck traffic on Kreidersville and Seemsville Roads. They have also requested law enforcement. Township Manager Ilene Eckhart said the dump trucks typically become a seasonal issue as Continued on page 11
81st Year, Issue No. 7 www.homenewspa.com
USPS 248-700
PHOTO OF THE MONTH CONTEST
February theme: Love
Deadline- Feb. 24 • Winner featured in Feb. 24 issue
Email photos along with contact info and description of photo to cstroh@homenewspa.com