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August 13, 2022

City Council: Finance consultant is worth her price | News, Sports, Jobs

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A new finance expert’s consulting arrangement was authorized by Town Council Thursday and it is previously paying dividends, officers stated.

Tracey Rash, who is with Governing administration Finance Options, Harrisburg, will be working on behalf of the metropolis for the next 120 days or when her expert services achieve an $85,000 cap.

In addition to locating out that the town owed the Interior Profits Service $160,000 in a civil penalty for unreturned 2017 tax papers, Rash told the finance committee and council that she has recovered $15,000 in unclaimed income staying held by the condition, and she is anticipating receiving $40,000 much more owing the city.

Furthermore, she identified that fiscal reviews produced by the city’s technique have not been reconciled given that 2019. Nor had bank accounts and she was seeking to get them reconciled but right up until they are figures could not be accurate, she warned.

She proceeds to meet with office heads and is operating on corrective motion regarding Federal Crisis Management Company grants for smoke alarms and a U.S. Section of Justice grant for protecting gear all through the COVID pandemic.

At the finish of June, Joseph Pawlak, interim finance director, was permit go.

Rash was introduced in since of her experience, including 32 yrs of auditing providers.

Her job remains to enable get the city’s finances in purchase and then let anyone else appear in to get it from there, Mayor Derek Slaughter explained to the finance committee this week.

Money solutions.

Councilwoman Liz Miele stated she was glad to see these reconciliation of accounts and accurate figures as the metropolis prepares its spending budget discussion in November.

Aspect of Rash’s function has been working with the new River Valley Transit Authority and as the town continues to separate funds to guarantee money in the authority is precise.

Her one particular thirty day period invoice was $13,382.

Tasks finished

With regard to the Bureau of Fire, there are quite a few federal grants that are in excess of a calendar year guiding reporting.

“I was working with the main to get the data together to be ready to report on people federal grants,” Rash explained.

“In regards to that, I spoke with Federal Crisis Management Company (FEMA), who is a single of your grantees, and when I was on the mobile phone with her, she told me that you had been selected for a checking so FEMA comes out and checks . . . and there was no reaction from the city so those matters are even now superb,” she explained.

There are minimal financial institution reconciliations finished because Dec. 31, 2019, “so the info in your system is not precise so I gave them historic data but it is only as very good as what’s in this procedure ideal now, so we will be doing work in the direction of obtaining budgets with each other and I have also attended the pension board conference for the fireplace office,” Rash stated.

In terms of finances, Rash submitted the quarterly taxes for the 2nd quarter, “and in digging by means of piles of paper that were remaining in the finance office, I discovered an Inner Profits Support see for the 4th quarter of 2021,” she explained.

“In calling the IRS, I was explained to you really had a few challenges fantastic — the most significant one particular being that you have a recognize from 2017 that you did not file selected paperwork with the IRS and that they had sent you several notices, none of which have been responded to and that you are now in civil penalty section which implies that the likelihood of acquiring all those penalties abated is next to almost nothing,” Rash reported.

Rash asked the IRS to send her a transcript of the documentation so that she can publish an abatement letter and try on the metropolis behalf to get that penalty of $160,000 abated.

Two concerns had been fixed with the IRS on people phone calls.

Rash also identified that “you experienced funds in what’s identified as Pennsylvania unclaimed resources so I went on to the unclaimed money web page. I drew down your funds from those people entities,” she explained.

“I’ve been answering thoughts for division heads and vendors, digging by several piles of envelopes that are opened and unopened and invoices that are sitting down all over,” she reported.

Rash submitted quite a few paperwork, satisfied with RVTA about their cash reconciliations, fulfilled with human sources and several men and women concerning pension, military services buyback and fall pension calculations.

She mentioned the town 2017 audit was not complete. She is meeting with a number of people remotely regarding money administration and doing work with M&T Lender to get all metropolis accounts transitioned into the acceptable names.

“I’ve also been working on putting together a procurement policy for a lot more policy for the city and I’ve met with software distributors for your accounting method for the reason that it is appreciably out-of-date,” she said.

A number of experiences are unavailable to the metropolis in the recent method, so Rash has been supplying some opinions on these accounting programs.

Yet to be finished are the pension calculations and the military buyback calculations and the fall calculations.

Rash is examining prior audits, finishing the spending plan worksheets for the non-typical fund resources and then continuing to dig by the piles of paper that keep on being in finance.

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July 27, 2022

Asian stocks follow Wall Street ahead of likely US rate hike | Business News

If you know of local business openings or closings, please notify us here.

PREVIOUS OPENINGS AND CLOSINGS

· Jimmy’s Barbershop in Allentown has moved to 822 N. 19th Street

· Air Products and Chemicals Inc.’s chosen warehouse developer, Prologis Inc., will have to wait until July 13 for a final decision by Upper Macungie Township’s zoning hearing board on 2.61 million square feet of warehouses.

· Chubby’s of Southside Easton has added Krispy Krunchy Chicken to its offerings and name.

· Curaleaf Holdings Inc., which operates in the U.S. and Europe, will open a medical-marijuana dispensary at 1801 Airport Road, Hanover Township.

· Habitat for Humanity, which has “ReStores” that sell new and lightly used furniture, has leased 30,000 square feet at the South Mall.

· Nat Hyman’s bid to convert an old warehouse at 938 Washington St. in Allentown into 48 apartments did not win zoning hearing board approval this week after neighbors said more housing would make an on-street parking shortage worse.

· Members 1st Federal Credit Union opened a new branch this week at 5605 Hamilton Blvd, Trexlertown. It’s one of five planned for the Lehigh Valley.

· A Turkish restaurant has relocated from one downtown to another, taking its fresh ingredients and cozy atmosphere from Nazareth to 200 Main St., Tatamy.

· The Tennessee Titans have chosen Allentown-based Shift4 Payments to handle payments at Nissan Stadium.

· Wells Fargo Bank held ribbon-cutting at its downtown Allentown branch at 740 Hamilton St.

· The Wiz Kidz outlet at the Madison Farms residential/retail development in Bethlehem Township will hold a grand reopening and ribbon-cutting at noon on July 15.

· Bad Biscuit Company, which offered breakfast with scratch-made biscuits, freshly baked pastry and local, small-batch artisan coffee, said it will cease operations at 16 Columbia Ave. in Reading after its July 1 hours.

· FastBridge Fiber has announced it will build an all-fiber cable network that will offer ultra-fast internet in the Reading area.

· Hamid Chaudhry has said he no longer plans to move forward with pursuing a food truck park he previously proposed on the site of the former Sheetz convenience store and gas station in Exeter Township at 6600 Perkiomen Ave. (Route 422 East).

· The Maxatawny Township Planning Commission has OK’d a proposal for a Mavis Discount Tire store in the Kutztown Road shopping center that features a Giant supermarket.

· Valentino’s Italian restaurant has gotten Maxatawny Township’s approval to remain open when the state transportation department takes one-third of its parking lot to build a traffic roundabout at the intersection of Route 222 and Long Lane.

· Pocono Mountain Harley-Davidson, under new ownership, will hold a “Grand Re-Opening Bash” July 9 and July 10 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

· Sauce West End plans to open in a former Rita’s Italian Ice, just off Route 209 across from the Tractor Supply store in Brodheadsville.

· The Surgery Center of Pottsville, which offered medical procedure services for 16 years in Cressona Mall. will close June 28.

· Wells Fargo has closed its branch office in Langhorne, near the intersection with Maple Avenue.

· The latest PrimoHoagies location in New Jersey held a grand opening at 1930 State Route 57, Hackettstown.

· A new Tractor Supply Co. store in Warren County will have its grand opening in the former Toys ‘R’ Us store in Pohatcong Plaza on July 9.

· Hunter Pocono Peterbilt plans to move Pocono Township operations to Stroudsburg.

· Coal Winery and Kitchen at 81 Broad St., Bethlehem, has closed as its owner searches for a new location for the business, according to its Facebook page.

· Lowhill Township supervisors approved a 312,120-square-foot commercial warehouse and distribution center on a 43.4-acre tract on the west side of Route 100, south of the Kernsville Road intersection.

· The Mint Gastropub at 1223 W. Broad St., Bethlehem, announced that it has temporarily closed to undergo a merger with a “well-known restaurant group” from Bethlehem.

· The Slatington Farmers Market opened its 28,000-square-foot showroom, which includes space for 53 vendors, as well as a 4,000-square-foot event space.

· St. Luke’s University Health Network opened a new pediatric inpatient unit next to the eight-bed pediatric intensive care unit at St. Luke’s University Hospital – Bethlehem.

· 25th Asian House opened at the location of the former Tin Tin Chinese restaurant in the 25th Street Shopping Center in Palmer Township.

· The Chick-Fil-A in Broadcasting Square shopping center in Spring Township was razed to make way for a new, expanded facility for the popular chicken sandwich restaurant.

· Plans for drive-thru locations of a Chipotle and a Starbucks at the intersection of Ivy League Drive and Kutztown Road were rejected by Maxatawny Township planners.

· Cumru Township plannes reviewed preliminary plans for NorthPoint-Morgantown Commerce Center, a 738,720-square-foot warehouse to be built on 75.2 acres at Morgantown Road (State Route 10) and Freemansville Road.

· Kutztown University has plans to expand its historic Poplar House to 13,161 square feet with an addition around its side and back, but keep the 129-year-old structure intact.

· A wine store and beverage outlet could be coming to a new two-unit building along the commercial strip of Blakeslee Boulevard Drive East in Lehighton, Carbon County.

· ChristianaCare, a Delaware health care organization, has announced it will buy the former Jennersville Hospital in West Grove, Chester County.

· Garden of Health Inc. celebrated the opening of the food bank’s new warehouse at 201 Church Road, North Wales, in Montgomery County.

· Silverline Trailers Inc. opened its first location in Pennsylvania and in the Northeast at 223 Porter Road, Pottstown, where it sells utility, cargo, dump, equipment and car hauler trailers.

· A new smoothie and bowl restaurant, Sips & Berries, opened at 285 Maple Ave., Harleysville, in Montgomery County.

· Terrain on the Parkway offers 160 new 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom apartments at 1625 Lehigh Parkway East in Allentown.

· Lehigh Valley native Don Wenner is moving his real estate investment and finance firm DLP Capital from Bethlehem to Allentown at 835 W. Hamilton St.

· While Wells Fargo has been the leader in closing banks lately, it will hold a ribbon-cutting for its new downtown Allentown office at 740 Hamilton St. on June 30.

· If you’re in the market for sterling silver jewelry, minerals and semi-precious gemstones, C& I Minerals is now operating at the South Mall at 3300 Lehigh St. in Allentown.

· The Allentown-based utility company PPL Corp. bought a major Rhode Island utility.

· Ownership at Martellucci’s Pizzeria in Bethlehem has changed, but Paul and Donna Hlavinka and their family are running the pizza place at 1419 Easton Ave., just as it has been operated for 49 years.

· Dr. Jacob Kasprenski’s new Kasprenski Family Eye Care opened at 1088 Howertown Road, Catasauqua.

· Josie’s New York Deli in downtown Easton closed early in the COVID-19 pandemic, but a June 13 Historic District Commission meeting approved a request for a new sign at its building at 14 Centre Square.

· Zekraft cafe has opened its second location in the Easton Silk Mill in Easton. The first Zekraft restaurant was opened in Bethlehem. The restaurants’ menus change frequently, with a focus on local ingredients.

· Manta Massage at 319 Main St., Emmaus, will hold its grand opening on July 10 starting at 11 a.m.

· The former Iron Lakes Country Club, constructed in the late 1950s and early 1960s, will operate at 3625 Shankweiler Road in North Whitehall Township under its new name, The Club at Twin Lakes.

· Prologis, a titan in the logistics industry, will own and operate three warehouses proposed in Upper Macungie Township at the former Air Products headquarters campus at 7201 Hamilton Blvd.

· Lehigh Valley Health Network ceremonially opened its first Carbon County hospital — a $78 million, 100,578-square-foot facility at 2128 Blakeslee Boulevard Drive East in Mahoning Township.

· Pocono Township commissioners voted to accept Swiftwater Solar’s preliminary final plan for the $111 million, 80-megawatt field on a private 644-acre site on top of Bear Mountain that would include about 200,000 solar panels.

· Firetree Ltd. wants to expand its in-patient rehab operation at the former Sands Ford auto dealership at 440 N Claude A Lord Blvd. (Route 61), Pottsville.

· A Dunkin’ in Schuylkill County located at 400 Terry Rich Blvd., St. Clair, has become just the fourth location of the donut and coffee chain to go entirely digital.

· The Conservatory music school in Bucks County will close after 34 years, and school officials say the COVID-19 pandemic is the cause. The nonprofit, located at 4059 Skyron Drive, Doylestown, will close June 30.

· A Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen and Arby’s will be built on the site of the former Ahart’s Market on Route 22 in Phillipsburg, New Jersey.

· Hunterdon County Chamber of Commerce offices and the Unity Bank Center for Business & Entrepreneurship will be located at 119 Main St., Flemington.

· Honeygrow opens Quakertown location, next to Chipotle on Route 309, on June 3.

· Dunkin’ reopens remodeled restaurant at 1174 MacArthur Road in Whitehall Township

· Muse Modern Med Spa at 325 Fifth St. in Whitehall Township will hold a grand opening June 4.

· Around Again, a consignment store, opened at 154 S. Main St., Phillipsburg

· Steak and Steel Hibachi, a restaurant in the works at 44 W. Walnut St., Bethlehem, still plans on opening late this summer.

· Take It Outdoors Recreation Hub has moved to a spot along the Schuylkill River Trail at Riverfront Park in Pottstown, Montgomery County

· Pedego Electric Bikes has a new outlet in Lambertville, N.J. at 13 N. Union St.

· Amanda Vachris has opened a new Keller Williams Real Estate office at 15 St. John St. in Schuylkill Haven.

· Easton’s new West Ward Market will open Wednesday and be open on Wednesday’s through the summer from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. The market, created by the Greater Easton Development Partnership, will sell fresh produce on 12th Street, next to Paxinosa Elementary School.

· Ciao Sandwich Shoppe is adding a second location, this time on College Hill in Easton. Ciao plans to open at 325 Cattell St. in late summer. Ciao already operates in downtown Easton at 12 N. Third St

· Ma’s Crepes and Cakes will hold a grand opening and ribbon-cutting June 16 at 46 W. Broadway, Jim Thorpe. The celebration starts at 5 p.m., with the ribbon cutting at 5:45 p.m.

· Bethlehem’s Back Door Bakeshop will reopen as a wholesale operation at 7 E. Church St. in the city’s historic district. The business was open for nine years as a retail outlet at Broad and Center streets, before announcing in March that it would close the storefront April 3 and “go back to its origins as a wholesale business.”

·The Beef Baron on Catasauqua Road in Bethlehem is closed indefinitely for renovations

· The Brothers That Just Do Gutters are opening a new location in Allentown at 1302 N. 18th St.

· St. John Chrysostom Academy, an Orthodox school serving grades 1-9 starting this fall, held a grand opening at its St. Francis Center, Bethlehem, campus.

· Easton Commons, a shopping center anchored by Giant Foods at 2920 Easton Ave., Bethlehem Township, has a new name: The Shops at Bethlehem.

· Carbon County is getting a taste of Brazil at Uai Brasil BBQ at 315 Lehigh Ave. in Palmerton.

· The Keystone Pub in Bethlehem Township, at 3259 Easton Avenue, has reopened after a lengthy and expensive renovation.

· The Trading Post Depot opened at 401 Northampton St., Easton. The rustic furniture store makes custom tables for dining rooms, desktops, conference centers and more.

· The Easton area has a new gym: Homemade Fitness at 444 Cedarville Road in Williams Township.

· Il Gaetano Ristorante opened at its 665 Columbus Ave., Phillipsburg, location.

· Ciao! Sandwich Shoppe to open second location on College Hill in Easton, replacing The Kettle Room

· Rene and Grisellies Benique have opened Ezekiel 47 Cafe at 10 S. Fifth Ave., off Fifth and Penn avenues, in West Reading.

· Alter Ego Salon and Day Spa in Emmaus is holding a grand opening Sunday, May 22, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with a ribbon cutting at noon.

· Origen Latin Fusion has opened at the site of the former Tomcat Cafe in Sinking Spring, Berks County.

· Sellersville Senior Residences will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony May 24. The Bucks County affordable-housing community for adults 55 and older has 50 apartments, with eight allocated for people with behavioral health needs.

· The House and Barn in Emmaus has opened its Shed outdoor dining and cigar bar area. The House and Barn is at 1449 Chestnut St. in Emmaus.

· Realtor Amanda Vachris and the Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce will hold a ribbon cutting at Vachris’s new Keller Williams Real Estate office at 15 St. John St., Schuylkill Haven, at 4 p.m. on May 24.

· Il Gaetano Ristorante will hold a grand opening on Friday, May 20, at 5:30 p.m. The 665 Columbus Ave., Phillipsburg.

· First Commonwealth Federal Credit Union will hold a grand opening at its new headquarters in Trexlertown, 6126 Hamilton Blvd., on May 18.

· Vinyl Press Signs & Graphics has relocated within Emmaus. The new site is 15 S. Second St., not far from the former Sixth Street location.

· Pedro’s Cafe in Emmaus to close

· SV Sports (formerly Schuylkill Valley Sports) to close Quakertown location

· Flemington DIY will host a Grand Re-Opening on May 14 at 26 Stangl Road, Flemington. The celebration will kick off at 10 a.m.

· Elpedio’s Ristorante at Seipsville opened at 2912 Old Nazareth Road in Easton. The restaurant is open Wednesday through Sunday.

· Uai Brazil opened at 315 Lehigh Ave, Palmerton, offering both a seated or buffet option.

· Colombian Mex Restaurant opened at 107 E Union Blvd in Bethlehem, offering traditional Colombian cuisine.

· Precision Ink opened at 161 W Berwick St. in Easton.

· King Wing opened a location in Bethlehem at 129 E. Third St., serving wings and sandwiches.

July 27, 2022

Finance Committee forwards ordinances to keep the water flowing | News, Sports, Jobs

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EAST LIVERPOOL — Town council’s Finance Committee agreed Tuesday to ahead eight ordinances to town council, which includes an unexpected emergency settlement to take care of filters at the drinking water plant and approve the 2023 tax funds with fewer predicted income than this calendar year.

“If we have a dire crisis in the city, we’re not going to be capable to provide water,” metropolis Water Superintendent Paul McCarthy explained.

The committee licensed metropolis Services/Basic safety Director David Dawson to invest in tools and services from Roberts H2o Systems Inc. from Coatesville, Pa. at a expense of $242,000 to switch faulty actuators, corroded wiring and eye-amount operational controls in six present gravity filters at the plant.

Dawson explained that an concern occurred on Sept. 30, 2021 when h2o coming into the filters overflowed and ran down the conduits that management the backwash actuators, affecting 4 of the six filters, and ensuing in corrosion. A letter sent to Dawson by McCarthy noted that Roberts Drinking water Technologies established the extent of the damage and identified that 4 backwash actuators need replaced and other people required upgraded or replaced owing to their age, with a advice for alternative of all 30 actuators, with five in each individual of the 6 gravity filters. Operators have to climb a ladder now to make adjustments which generates a security issue. With one filter down, McCarthy wrote if the city experienced a significant drinking water crack, “the plant would be unable to create the essential amount of money of drinking water. This condition is a dire emergency and should really carry on with substitute of these defective actuators.”

Councilman Brian Kerr said he appreciated most people performing to get the problem resolved. Councilman Fred Rayl questioned why the procedure took so lengthy considering that the issue 1st began at the conclude of September, but Dawson defined they were attempting to get great charges and McCarthy added that not all the actuators went down at the moment. Rayl recognized the basic safety problem with operators acquiring to go up a 16-foot ladder. He reported he was not delighted that they are circumventing the bid system but agreed to deliver the difficulty to council. All three committee members, Rayl, Kerr and Councilman Jeff Kreefer, agreed to all ordinances.

In a make any difference related to the h2o plant, an addendum was encouraged to the agreement with Dallis Dawson & Associates, for more funds to guide with a direct contractor for the raw h2o consumption improvements. No a single bid on the challenge, so the engineer will meet with some contractors about carrying out the function. The additional expense will be $38,602 if authorised by council.

In talking about the 2023 tax spending plan, Rayl, who chairs the Finance Committee, commented that the profits for the typical fund appears to be like it is 12 p.c down from last year. City Auditor Marilyn Bosco reported the metropolis misplaced income from WTI to the tune of $60,000 and was getting rid of some Neighborhood Governing administration Fund income. She took the health insurance expenses out to harmony, but famous “this is just a setting up position.”

The proposed tax spending plan confirmed estimated earnings of $3,798,600 for the normal fund. The estimate for this year was $4.3 million. Approximated costs for the typical fund were detailed as $3,788,532 for the tax funds.

“We’re just likely to have to retain a close enjoy on the revenue,” she explained.

The bulk of the city’s normal fund income arrives from the 1.5 percent revenue tax. Actual appropriations won’t be carried out until finally tumble.

Other ordinances currently being despatched to council consist of a single for the resurfacing of U.S. Route 30 and state Route 39 within the town by the Ohio Department of Transportation, at no cost to the city, which council committee associates claimed would arrive as fantastic information to most residents. The venture starts on U.S. Route 30 at Calcutta and finishes exactly where condition Route 39 narrows from 4 lanes to two lanes in just the metropolis. Other ordinances deal with changes to appropriations and payment of vendors.

The following conference of metropolis council is 6 p.m. Monday at town corridor council chambers.

mgreier@mojonews.com

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July 26, 2022

1 No-Brainer ETF to Buy During a Recession | Business News