Lansford Borough is applying for 2025 Local Share Account Monroe Grant for the upgrade of Ashton Park Playground, including fencing, two handicapped accessible rides and two additional rides, and two handicapped accessible ramps.

The estimated cost for the work is $250,000.

Council moved through a lengthy agenda with more than 28 items in old and new business during its meeting last week. Eight of those items were withdrawn or tabled, including a motion to have any official documents and signs in English only.

Councilman Joseph Butrie suggested the English-only move during a committee meeting, saying that putting documents and signs in an additional language would be discriminatory to the community’s ethnically diverse population.

Butrie withdrew the motion on the advice of solicitor Bob Yurchak, who believed the move violated federal law.

Other business

Other items council handled included:

• Withdrawing a motion to install LED lights at the current borough garage to reduce the electricity costs. The proposal would have cost $5,178.

• Withdrawing a motion to amend the vehicle ordinance to allow towing of vehicles without an inspection sticker or for inspection stickers more than 30 days past expiration.

• Reappointing John Tucker to the Coaldale-Lansford-Summit Hill Sewer Authority and appointing Tommy Vadyak as a member authority. Five applications had been received.

• Tabling a move to charge Construction Clearance a 6% late rent charge. Letters sent to the firm had come back, and Yurchak said that he just re-sent a letter to another address and the borough needs to give them 30 days.

• Approving purchase of a Stihl cut-off saw for $2,078.35 to be paid out of the Sewer Transmission Fund.

• Approving changes to the pass-through agreement with the Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley for a grant to do work on the exterior of Grace Community Church community center.

• Appointing the borough secretary to open all bids at the time advertised in the bid notice, to record all the bids and to forward the information to council for further action.

• Approving a motion requiring all successful bidders to furnish a bond, irrevocable letter of credit or other acceptable security of 100% of a bid amount within 20 days of the date a contract is awarded.

• Approving a cooperative agreement with Carbon County for the Brimble’s Wall Project, as provided by the state Department of Community and Economic Development.

• Tabling a resolution for regulations for the conduct of open meetings. Council President Bruce Markovich said council needed to discuss the matter before approving it.

• Approving a motion to process the payment of Dennis Starry’s pension every month including tax deductions through ADP, which will allow the firm to issue a 1099 Payment records will no longer by processed by hand.

• Approving sending delinquent accounts for the 2024 utilities to Portnoff Associates.

• Approving a request by the tax collector to change the billing software for the borough taxes to Berks Intermediate System. There is no cost for the changeover.

• Approving an advertisement for a part-time code enforcement officer.

• Approved allowing the solicitor to draft an amusement device tax/fee ordinance to register skill games in area businesses.

• Heard from residents who praised code enforcement officer Shane Monk for his work on problem properties and who criticized the borough’s “no parking” posting on Kline Avenue and ticketing of vehicles.