Emmaus Council Honoring Deceased Police Officers

Emmaus Borough Council Monday had a moment of silence for auxiliary police officer Ray Seiling, who passed away recently. Mayor Winfield Iobst said a memorial fund will be set up to purchase a bench or plant a tree “to remember him by.” Seiling worked the downtown shopping district, according to council president Lee Ann Gilbert.

Eugene “Buzzy” Carl, a deceased former Emmaus policeman, will be memorialized in a ceremony on Saturday, May 21, by the laying of a namesake brick in the new police walkway of the borough’s Remembrance Garden at the Knauss Homestead, according to councilman Michael Waddell. Waddell is also the president of the Emmaus Commemorative Gardens Foundation, which runs the Remembrance Garden.

Carl’s brick will be the second one in the police walkway. The walkway was created with a first brick memorializing former police officer Clarence “Popeye” Kaiser, who passed away several years ago, said Waddell. Former Police Chief Earl Brensinger is due to be the third borough officer memorialized with a brick laying, according to Waddell.

In other business, council approved a request by the Shops of Emmaus to hold its annual "Best in Bloom Arts & Garden Festival" June 11 on the downtown Triangle, but not before some councilmembers expressed disappointment at the organizations’s late request. Councilman R. Erick Reinhard voted against the approval after saying the group did not follow the borough’s new request procedure.

But Borough Manager Craig Neely deflected the blame by saying the late request was at least partly caused by borough staff’s unfamiliarity with the new request procedure for using borough properties.

Shops of Emmaus president Nicole Frierson said the event will feature performers, artists and musicians who will set up tents on the Triangle if it rains.

In other festival-related business, council granted special permission to allow tents and beer sales at the borough's annual Community Day festival July 23 at Community Park. Council also approved the park staying open until 10 p.m. for the event. The beer sales would be operated by one or more of the local social clubs, said councilman Wesley Barrett.

Barrett also reported that his parks and recreation committee is considering other locations for the construction of an ice rink and skate park. The proposed park was originally conceived to be built on Williams Street but is facing opposition from neighbors. Barrett said his committee must decide if the ice rink/skate park plan “is viable for that area or not.”

Reinhard reported that the borough and neighboring Lower Macungie Township “are taking the lead” to acquire Lehigh County’s composting equipment in order to set up a consortium of nine local municipalities that would operate the composting operation that the .

Also, councilman Nathan Brown said the borough might be able to buy the new $47,000 computer system needed by the police department by shifting budget money from other projects, such as the controversial baseball field upgrade. Gilbert said the police computer system is in bad condition and needs replacing. .

Council approved a new garage door and heat pump for the fire station. ABE Doors had the low bid of $11,150 for the door and M.A. Yeakel made the only bid to install the heat pump, according to council.

Reinhard reported that earned income tax revenue was “substantially higher” in May than in earlier months.