Sept. 15, 2025
— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs
Bethlehem City Council will meet Tuesday to consider spending another $120,000 on “downtown initiatives” focused on the city’s status as a UNESCO World Heritage site, and a big sign at the Wawa near Hellertown.
When the Wawa on Hellertown Road, near Route 78, went up, there was discussion about how much the developer should spend on a sign welcoming people to Bethlehem from the Greater Wassergass Area and Route 78.
The price appears to be $20,000, based on the agenda for Tuesday, and the work will be done by Five Rivers Fabrication of Wind Gap, if council approves the move.
From the agenda: “Consultant shall design, construct, and install a metal sign containing the words “City of Bethlehem” on a 5 foot by 10 foot existing concrete pad located on the property at 770 Hellertown Road, Bethlehem… “
There was a lot of discussion of this during the planning process and then a committee to settle on a design. Ideally this item will be dispensed with quickly on Tuesday. “City of Bethlehem” on a sign, it’s hard to dispute that.
Council will also review a move of $120,000 from the city’s cash balance to “Downtown Initiatives” in support of the city’s UNESCO World Heritage Status. Much has been said about that designation for the city’s Moravian sites generating tourism, well we will see.
I’ve been to several UNESCO sites and sometimes not even known it until later. UNESCO stands for United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization, which picks the sites.
UNESCO recognizes 1,248 sites worldwide. I was just at one in Iceland, and it was worth visiting but the UNESCO link was not played up at Thingvellir National Park. Perhaps because that site doesn’t need attention.
City Council will also consider improvements to the Bethlehem Greenway, along the south side of the Lehigh River.
The administration of Mayor J. William Reynolds proposes awarding a $105,170 contract to Herbert, Rowland and Grubic of Allentown”
“This professional service agreement is for design services for the Greenway Trail Phase VII (Final) improvements which will provide a paved connection from the previously completed improvements at Auburn St to the Saucon Rail Trail near Bachman Street. The paved trail is anticipated to be 12ft wide and follow a railroad bed route for approximately one mile. Other improvements include wayfinding signage, benches, and trash receptacles will be at various
locations along the trail.”
The city will also present citations to Police Captain Michael Leaser and Assistant Fire Chief Anthony Preletz.
Bethlehem City Council will meet at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 16, in Town Hall, the structure on Church Street between City Hall and the Bethlehem Area Public Library.
There will be a finance committee at the same place at 6 p.m. Among other issues, Council will be notified of a 27th pay period in 2026.
According to a memo from Business Administrator Eric Evans, “There is an unusual payroll issue that occurs every 11 years for bi-weekly employers. It happens because 26 bi-weekly paychecks only cover 364 days in a year, not 365 (or 366 in Leap Years).
Those extra days add up for employees over the course of time and create the 27th pay in the 11th year. The City of Bethlehem experienced this in 2016 and faced an increase in its expenses for the year of $1.5 million as a result.”
Lehigh Valley News Briefs 