Palmerton will apply for funding to either build a new police station or rehab its current station.

Borough Council on a 5-0 vote Thursday approved a resolution to apply for a $1 million Statewide Local Share Assessment Grant from the Commonwealth Financing Authority for the construction of a new police facility.

Councilman Kris Hoffner was absent.

In August, council on a unanimous vote approved a resolution for an application of a LSA grant.

Former Councilman Cory Kepner had asked council to consider procuring $2 million for building a new police station, or the renovation of the existing station.

On Thursday, borough council accepted Kepner’s resignation because of personal reasons.

Borough Manager Autumn Canfield said that council was looking at two tracts of land, but did not disclose specifics. Canfield said the borough looked at more than a dozen sites, but narrowed down to two.

Kepner said in May that Keystone Consulting Engineers had recommended new construction, and noted there could be grants available.

He wanted to contact St. Luke’s about the property at the former Palmerton Hospital on Lafayette Avenue.

However, Hoffner said that may be putting the cart before the horse, and suggested possibly looking into the far east-end of the Northface Development in Palmerton, the site of the former New Jersey Zinc West Plant, which he said is not in a residential area.

Councilwoman Holly Hausman-Sell said council needed to determine if it wants to go with a new building, a new site, or if it was looking to do those simultaneously.

She added that the consensus was to go for a new building rather than renovations to its existing station.

At that time Council said the cost for a potential 5,000-square-foot building would be about $1 million.

The borough has been looking at the possibility of reclaiming space rented by Carbon County’s Area Agency on Aging for use for its police department, located in a former New Jersey Zinc Company building at 401 Delaware Ave.