Tamaqua Borough Council voted to approve a request to guarantee the refinance of a bond held by the borough’s water authority. There is currently $7 million remaining on the loan, and with the refinance, the water authority will save approximately $500,000 over the rest of the term of the loan.

Councilman Brian Connely said that money can be put back into the water authority coffers to cover smaller projects that will come up.

• Borough Manager Kevin Steigerwalt advised council that the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s work on Center Street will cease for the week due to the weather. Steigerwalt and Councilman Ron Bowman also said that additional repairs to the paving work that was done last spring on Owl Creek Road will be completed in the upcoming weeks.

• Council discussed 2021 CDBG funding. Among potential projects are fencing improvements for the South North Ward and /Middle Ward playgrounds.

• Steigerwalt advised residents that Ann Marie Calabrese, the director of Community Development, is looking for more volunteers to help fix up and repaint the borough’s Christmas decorations that are placed along North Railroad Street every year.

• The borough is currently advertising to fill part-time police officer positions and a borough secretary position, as well as the code enforcement officer position. The borough accepted the resignation of part-time police officer Melissa Shafer. Shawn Hutta was hired as an assistant mechanic and street worker.

• The community pool will close this Sunday. Several members of the Tamaqua Y Not organizations approached council to ask for their support as the organization tries to bring a community center and community programming back to the community. The group was formed after the Tamaqua YMCA closed last year.

• Spokeswoman Cathy Miorelli said that although her heart belongs to the youth of the community, she realizes that the community as a whole will be served by a community center and programs for all ages. The group is under the umbrella of the ESRC and has a Facebook page.

They are actively looking for new members.

• Resident Robert Derr alerted council that there is a lot of ATV activity around Clay Street and asked for more of a police presence to deter some of the activity.

• Council approved certificates of appropriateness for the demolition of two fire-damaged properties in the borough. They also approved an ordinance prohibiting vehicles 70,000 pounds or more on Pitt Street between Lafayette Street and West Elm Street. Handicap parking spaces were approved for 34 Hunter St., Apt. 3; 327 N. Columbia St.; and 208 Biddle St.

- Liz Pinkey