City Council to Look at Mortgage Crisis, Landmark Demolition

The mortgage foreclosure crisis and its impact on Bethlehem will be discussed by City Council’s Community Development Committee at 7 p.m. Monday in Town Hall.

The committee will be mulling a proposed ordinance to establish a foreclosed property registry that will require mortgage holders to identify a contact person to address safety and aesthetic concerns in properties that have been abandoned.

The preamble to the proposed law notes “an increase in the number of vacancies and abandoned properties” in Bethlehem. Law proponents are hoping to prevent more residential properties from becoming blighted.

The committee will also be discussing an ordinance proposal to regulate demolition of any buildings that the city has deemed historic.

Under the proposed law, a demolition permit would hinge on the property owner demonstrating the lack of a viable redevelopment alternative, unreasonable economic hardship or that demolition of a building is an unavoidable and integral part of a construction scheme affecting a larger area than the building in question, which will provide substantial public benefit.

The Bethlehem Area School Board also meets at 7 p.m. Monday at East Hills Middle School. Among the items on the agenda is a proposal to lengthen the school day at Freedom High School by seven minutes.

Freedom has been starting its school day at 7:45 a.m., seven minutes later than Liberty High School. The change would make the two schools’ schedules match up.

As an immigration reform bill hits the U.S. Senate this week, the local Organizing for Action group will present a program at 7 p.m. Monday at Zoellner Arts Center aimed at exploring the issue.

The program will begin with a 30-minute movie called The Dream Is Now. It tells the story of four “dreamers” – high-achieving youngsters whose dreams of becoming contributing American citizens are destroyed because their parents are undocumented workers.

Then, for 30 minutes, we’ll hear from three Lehigh Valley immigration lawyers who are passionate about explaining immigration problems, immigration legislation and the unexpected ways that all of us are helped or hurt by immigration policies.

Interested in pursuing a career as a table games dealer at the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem or another Pennsylvania casino? Visit the Northampton Community College Fowler Family South Side Center at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday for an hour-long interactive information session.

The Steelworks Buffet and Grill, a new restaurant coming to the Sands, will be holding a job fair beginning at 10 a.m. Wednesday. The restaurant is looking for buffet cooks, line cooks, buffet servers, carving station servers, sushi rollers, sous chefs and prep cooks. They will be conducting interviews right on site in the Sands Casino Food Court.

Speaking of restaurants, don’t forget that this is Summer Restaurant Week in Bethlehem.