Home Care In Gilbertsville, PA

DOUGLASS (Mont.) — A public hearing on how the state intends to clean up water contamination at eight homes on Diehl Drive and Gilbertsville Avenue connected to the former Boyertown Landfill has been scheduled for Wednesday, June 21, at the Gilbertsville Fire and Rescue Company.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection will host the public hearing to provide a brief informational presentation regarding the Boyertown Landfill Site PFAS investigation and to “hear oral comments on DEP’s proposed prompt interim response action,” according to the DEP announcement.

The meeting will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Gilbertsville Fire and Rescue Company, 1454 E Philadelphia Ave., Gilbertsville.

The DEP’s Bureau of Environmental Cleanup and Brownfields began its investigation in the spring of 2019, according to Stephanie Berardi, regional communications manager for DEP’s Southeast Regional Office in Norristown.

The agency has already installed treatment systems where the well water enters the affected homes with unsafe levels of chemical contamination, what it calls a “prompt-interim response.”

The chemicals of concern are perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl part of a family of substances often referred to as PFAS.

“PFAS are man-made chemicals that persist in the environment and the human body. PFAS are not found naturally in the environment and are used in the manufacture of a variety of products and materials. They are also used in firefighting foams, in a number of industrial processes, and certain consumer goods,” according to the DEP press release.

According to the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, “perfluoroalkyls are mobile in soil and leach into groundwater.”

The health effects of exposure to these chemicals on humans depend largely on the level of exposure and the ATSDR says possible connections between these chemicals and illness, a direct cause-and-effect relationship, have not yet been conclusively proven. However, some studies have indicated exposure can, among other health effects, decrease the effectiveness of vaccines.

PFOA and PFOS, two specific chemicals within the larger PFAS family, are of particular concern. “The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC 2017) concluded that PFOA is possibly carcinogenic to humans, and EPA (2016e, 2016f) concluded that there was suggestive evidence of the carcinogenic potential of PFOA and PFOS in humans. Increases in testicular and kidney cancer have been observed in highly exposed humans,” according to ATSDR’s toxicological profile.

The cleanup is being driven in part by a change in safety standards, as scientists have come to better understand these compounds and their potential effects on human health.

The PFAs were first discovered in the wells in 2019 and at the time they were discovered, the levels were not above the safety standards of the time. However, in January of 2023, those safety standards were made more protective of human health and the maximum levels allowed were lowered, thus putting the levels detected in those eight homes above the new safety standards.

The Boyertown Landfill, whose street address is 300 Merkel Road, was examined by the Environmental Protection Agency as a Superfund Site, but it is not on the National Priorities List and the federal agency currently has no clean-up plans there.

A copy of the administrative record for this site is not online and is only available for physical review Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the DEP’s Southeast Regional Office located at 2 East Main St., Norristown and at the Douglass Township Building, 1320 East Philadelphia Ave. in Gilbertsville.

Those who wish to offer testimony at the public hearing should register with Stephanie Berardi, Regional Communications Manager for DEP’s Southeast Region, at 484-250-5808 or by email at [email protected]. Pre-registration to testify will close at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, June 20. Oral comments are limited to three minutes per person and will be recorded by a stenographer. Registration is not required simply to attend the hearing.

Written comments of any length will be accepted until Aug. 11, 2023, and should be sent to Colin R. Wade, Environmental Protection Specialist, by email at [email protected], or by mail or hand-delivered to DEP Southeast Regional Office, 2 East Main Street, Norristown, PA 19401.

All comments, whether delivered orally during the hearing or submitted in writing, carry equal weight and consideration with DEP. Following the close of the public comment period, DEP will prepare a comment and response document responding to all public comments received orally at the hearing and in writing prior to the deadline.

Persons with a disability who wish to attend the hearing and require auxiliary aid, service, or other accommodations to participate in the proceedings should call through the Pennsylvania AT&T Relay Service at 1-800-654-5984 (TDD) to discuss how DEP may accommodate their needs.

A notice of the public hearing appeared in the Pennsylvania Bulletin on Saturday, May 13, 2023, and The Mercury’s legal notices section on May 13. An addendum to the notice was published in both publications on May 27, to specify the location of the public hearing.

Lehigh Valley Health Network said Thursday it has started construction on a $38 million "neighborhood" hospital in Gilbertsville, a project that will become the system's first inpatient medical center in Montgomery County.

The 22,000-square-foot micro-hospital at Route 100 and Grosser Road is expected to open in fall 2024. A medical office building on the site, which will be called the Health Center at Gilbertsville, is slated to open at the same time.

The health system did not disclose the specific number of beds that will be included in the neighborhood hospital. Lehigh Valley's neighborhood hospital planned for Macungie outside of Allentown will have 10 beds.

Lehigh Valley Health Network entered into a $3 million financing deal with the Wisconsin-based Public Finance Authority, which the authority said was related to the health system's neighborhood hospital projects. The Public Finance Authority provides local governments and eligible private entities, including nonprofit health systems, with access to low-cost, tax-exempt financing.

The Business Journal first reported in June 2022 that Lehigh Valley Health Network had paid $7.6 million to acquire the western Montgomery County site for a hospital project. The 21-acre property next to a Wawa was a cornfield.

“LVH–Gilbertsville and the Health Center at Gilbertsville will give residents more convenient access to emergency and hospital-level care, along with robust ambulatory services located closer to where they live, work and play,” said Dr. Brian A. Nester, CEO of Lehigh Valley Health Network, in a statement.

The Gilbertsville hospital with have a full-service ER and limited number of inpatient beds to serve patients 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The hospital will have lab, imaging and pharmacy service. Patients requiring surgery or higher levels of care will be stabilized and transferred to other, "higher-equipped" hospitals in the network.

The health system did not disclose the size of the hospital's staff.

The 57,000-square-foot Health Center at Gilbertsville will house primary and pediatric care offices for the Lehigh Valley Physician Group. Other specialty services in the building will include obstetrics and gynecology, orthopedics, rheumatology, physiatry, cardiology, cardiac and nuclear testing, breast health services, adult and pediatric rehabilitation and cardiac rehabilitation.

John Pierro, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Lehigh Valley Health Network, said the hospital will offer community members a new health care option. “This facility [will offer] more capability than an ExpressCARE [the health system's urgent care center brand], with experience and expertise to treat the same cases that would traditionally be treated and released at a larger hospital," he said.

Lehigh Valley Health Network does already have a presence in Montgomery County, where it opened The Health Center at Pennsburg in March 2022.

The Macungie project will be the health system's first neighborhood hospital and is scheduled to open in July 2024.

Based in Allentown, the Lehigh Valley Health Network operates 13 hospital campuses: four in Allentown, two in Bethlehem, one in Easton, one in East Stroudsburg, one in Hazleton, two in Pottsville, one in Dickson City, and one in Lehighton.

Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) has started construction on a new hospital in Gilbertsville, Montgomery County to help meet increasing demand for accessible, convenient ER and inpatient care.

Lehigh Valley Hospital (LVH)–Gilbertsville, LVHN’s first in Montgomery County, is expected to open by fall 2024. A medical office building on the same site – the Health Center at Gilbertsville – is slated to open at the same time.

Construction is underway on land at Route 100 and Grosser Road, near the current Wawa convenience store and gas station.

The new hospital is a type of facility known in the health care industry as a neighborhood hospital, with a full-service ER and limited number of inpatient beds. The footprint, at about 22,000 square feet, is smaller than other LVHN hospitals in the region such as LVH–Cedar Crest near Allentown or LVH–Muhlenberg in Bethlehem.

“LVH–Gilbertsville and the Health Center at Gilbertsville will give residents more convenient access to emergency and hospital-level care, along with robust ambulatory services located closer to where they live, work and play. Easy access can improve patient engagement and help individuals live their healthiest life.” - Brian A. Nester, DO, MBA, President and Chief Executive Officer, LVHN

However, this will be a fully licensed hospital offering accredited acute care – 24 hours a day, seven days a week – in a state-of-the-art facility. Patients requiring surgery or higher levels of care will be stabilized and transferred to other, higher-equipped LVHN hospitals as needed.

The new hospital will have extensive lab, imaging and pharmacy services. All of the lab and imaging services, including X-ray, ultrasound, CT scan and MRI, will also be available for any patient requiring these services as an outpatient.

The Health Center at Gilbertsville, at about 57,000 square feet, will house a variety of medical services, including Lehigh Valley Physician Group (LVPG) primary care and pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, orthopedics, rheumatology, physiatry, cardiology, cardiac and nuclear testing, breast health services, adult and pediatric rehabilitation and cardiac rehabilitation. HNL Lab Medicine also will be on-site.

“LVH–Gilbertsville and the Health Center at Gilbertsville will give residents more convenient access to emergency and hospital-level care, along with robust ambulatory services located closer to where they live, work and play,” said Brian A. Nester, DO, MBA, President and Chief Executive Officer, LVHN. “Easy access can improve patient engagement and help individuals live their healthiest life.”

The hospital and health center are LVHN’s second and third facilities in Montgomery County. The Health Center at Pennsburg opened in March 2022. Construction continues for LVHN’s first neighborhood hospital in Macungie, Lehigh County. The health network broke ground for that project in December. Lehigh Valley Hospital–Macungie is slated to open by July 2024. The companion medical office building, the Health Center at Macungie, could open as early as this winter.

“We’re proud to expand the services we offer in this region and connect patients with world-class care that includes the expertise of our five health institutes as well as Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital,” Dr. Nester said.

David Burmeister, DO, Chair, Department of Emergency and Hospital Medicine, LVHN, said the neighborhood hospital model will deliver short ER wait times and favorable door-to-discharge times. “Patients will receive the same high-quality, compassionate care and exceptional patient experience that have made LVHN the gold standard in the region,” he said.

“LVH–Gilbertsville provides an exciting health care option not currently available in this region,” said John Pierro, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, LVHN. “This facility offers more capability than an ExpressCARE, with experience and expertise to treat the same cases that would traditionally be treated and released at a larger hospital. LVH–Gilbertsville will offer a convenient alternative to residents of this region.”

WILDWOOD, New Jersey (WPVI) -- A sheriff's deputy from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, was arrested in New Jersey on child pornography charges.

James Christopher Buckley, 57, of Gilbertsville, is facing two counts of endangering the welfare of a child by possession and distribution of child pornography.

The Cape May County Prosecutor's Office said the investigation stemmed from a National Center for Missing and Exploited Children tip that revealed an unidentified person, subsequently identified as Buckley, allegedly possessed and distributed various images of child sexual abuse material via his iCloud account back in 2020.

This occurred at Buckley's vacation residence located in Wildwood, New Jersey, the prosecutor's office said.

An affidavit stated that Buckley confessed to viewing and storing the images during the COVID pandemic, and says he was viewing it as his younger self.

Buckley was arrested on Tuesday and is being held at the Cape May County Correctional Facility pending a court hearing.

The Montgomery County Sheriff's Department said Buckley has been suspended as a result of these charges.

"The conduct outlined in these charges is antithetical to the values and principles of our agency and an affront to the public's trust. We remain steadfast in our commitment to serving and protecting the residents of Montgomery County," Sheriff Sean Kilkenny said in a statement.

"As an agency committed to upholding the law and maintaining the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and accountability, we take these allegations extremely seriously," the statement continued.

Action News spoke with residents who live near Buckley in Gilbertsville. Many said they were shocked to learn something like this could happen so close to home.

"I didn't think something like that would happen in this neighborhood. I mean it's been a quiet, peaceful neighborhood. All the neighbors I know of are friendly, to hear something like that, it's mind-blowing," said one neighbor who wanted to remain anonymous.

"That's extremely concerning because you think those people are supposed to be protecting the people, especially the children in the area," the neighbor added.

Some parents told Action News they will be on high alert after learning what happened to Buckley.

"We have a 2-year-old. We have one on the way. Obviously it's extremely scary to find that someone in the neighborhood or close to the area would be involved in something like that," another resident said.

"I have three kids. I don't know what to think about that. Now it's like I should be overly protective when the kids are outside," another local parent noted.

To report a tip about child pornography, visit the Cyber Tipline page.

Sunset Hill Brewing Company is coming soon to Gilbertsville, PA. The new brewery is opening on the former 35-acre Sulomans Dairy Farm, at 2782 Leidy Road and is sure to be a destination visit for any beer traveler.

We recently spent time with owners and brothers Josh and Brett Firely, to see what beer fans can expect from the newest brewery coming to the area. See below for our Q&A with them!

BIPA: What stage are you currently in? Licensing?

Josh & Brett: We are all licensed and in the middle of construction on the building. Our equipment is in production as well!

BIPA: How did you become initially interested in craft beer? Who is all involved in the brewery?

Josh & Brett: So we are truly a family-run brewery, everyone is pitching in! Brett will mainly be doing the brewing and will be looking for an assistant brewer, and Josh will be doing all front-of-house things, taking care of everything for the taproom.

Brett’s wife Brooke will be doing all the graphic design work for cans, and Josh’s wife Steph is the accountant for the business, handling business operations and social media. Our dad John is also involved and will be helping out everywhere he can across the business.

We got into homebrewing, and have been very passionate about it the last few years. Josh lives up against the farm property, and it was one that we always wanted to buy.

BIPA: What styles of beers will you focus on?

Josh & Brett: We want to be able to do all styles, but our main focus will be on lots of hazy IPAs, pilsners/lagers, and some porters and stouts. We are excited to start with hazy and west coast IPAs, as well as a few different types of lagers. Also, we’ll be making seasonal beers, think shandy, pumpkin beers, etc.

BIPA: Can you describe the space you are opening?

Josh & Brett: We are opening at the former 35-acre Sulomans Dairy Farm. The 3,000 sq/ft building we are renovating was built in 1971 and previously housed all of the milk production was. We purchased the entire farm, and it’s split by the road. The one side with the brewery was the storefront for the dairy farm, and the other side across the street has most of the property and has a barn and house on it.

Our taproom will be about 1,100 sq/ft with a 10 tap L-shaped bar, seating about 15. The entire taproom will seat around 35 to start. We are having a 7 BBL Deutsche brewhouse built and will have eight 7 BBL fermenters, three 15 BBL fermenters, and four 7 BBL Brite tanks.

Outside we will be growing hops in the field on the one side, and have an outdoor beer garden on the other. A big patio will be built with fire pits and lots of outdoor activities. There is also a pond on the one side and you can feed the ducks. We are planning on having a farm setting with different seasonal outdoor activities such as a fall pumpkin patch, corn maze, etc.

Another fun history note, Washington and his troops camped out on the property in the creekbottom. The previous owner found lots of arrowheads on the property.

BIPA: Will you release crowlers/cans there as well?

Josh & Brett: We want to do as many crowlers as we can, and are open to canning right as we open. Hoping to offer both right away.

BIPA: Will there be food offered?

Josh & Brett: There will be no kitchen, but food trucks will be on the property on the days that we are open.

Follow Sunset Hill Brewing on Facebook and Instagram, and make sure to keep up with Josh and Brett Firely and the progress with the brewery coming to Gilbertsville!