Council to Interview Applicants for Vacant Seat

Hellertown Borough Council will hear from two applicants for a vacant seat at their meeting Monday.

The vacancy exists because of councilwoman Liz Thompson’s resignation last month. According to Monday’s meeting agenda, council will interview Gail Nolf and Robert Lepley, both of whom applied to fill the seat.

Nolf is a former councilwoman who is currently running for a full term. In her letter of interest, she cited her experience, education and community involvement as a long-time borough resident.

“Our family has lived in Hellertown since 1994,” said Nolf, who is a retired Bethlehem Area School District teacher and former Dewey Fire Co. president. “Please know that I also received the majority of the vote in the recent primary for open Council Seats and I feel this is representative of citizen support for my interest in a Council seat.”

Nolf’s full letter may be read here.

Robert Lepley is a current member of the Hellertown Planning Commission and is employed as a commercial lender.

“I bring both civic engagement and professional financial expertise to the table—assets I believe will greatly benefit the
Council and our community,” he told council in his letter.

“I strongly believe in transparent governance, collaboration across sectors and advocating for initiatives that protect the character of Hellertown while promoting responsible progress,” Lepley said.

Thompson’s resignation was the second on council in as many months. Former councilwoman Terri Fadem resigned in May to accept full-time employment with the borough as its new zoning and codes enforcement officer. Borough resident Larry O’Donnell–who, like Nolf, is a candidate for a full-term on council–was appointed to fill that vacancy.

Fadem is already dealing with a number of issues, one of which involves a proposal to turn a former church in the residential Mountainview neighborhood into a combination event center and ice cream store. That plan has faced criticism from neighboring property owners, some of whom spoke against it at a lengthy zoning hearing board meeting last month.

On July 16, zoners tabled their discussion of the plans, which were brought to them by Mountainview Family Center LLC’s managing member Sara Heintzelman. Heintzelman said the business has an agreement of sale to purchase the property from the Moravian Church. The purchase agreement is contingent on winning relief from the zoning ordinance to convert the property into a restaurant and community center; a parking variance; and a favorable interpretation of the zoning ordinance that would allow for the “continued use of the property as a lawful, pre-existing and non-conforming use.” Zoners are scheduled to continue hearing the appeal at meeting scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 20 at 6:30 p.m. at Borough Hall.

In addition to that appeal, the Morning Call reported last week that some residents and business owners are upset over Fadem’s efforts to enforce the borough’s shade tree ordinance. Her office recently mailed letters to property owners who haven’t replaced shade trees or whose properties lack street trees informing them of the need to plant them, which touched off the controversy, the story indicated.

Anyone with concerns about a letter they received can contact Fadem at t.fadem@hellertownborough.org.

Monday’s borough council meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at Borough Hall and online via Zoom and Facebook live. Residents will have the opportunity to speak on both agenda and non-agenda items during designated periods for public comment. The draft agenda for Monday’s meeting may be viewed on the borough’s website.