When the borough of Jim Thorpe dedicates its new municipal building and police station next month, Building and Parks committee chairman Justin Yaich hopes that it will showcase some historic photos of the borough loaned to it by local residents. Plans for an elaborate ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony for the new building had to be put on hold in Jim Thorpe this past weekend when a number of council members fell victim to the flu.

A new ceremony will be planned for the near future. In the meantime, Yaich hopes he can convince some to donate artwork to showcase on the building's walls."We are looking to locate some fitting décor," Yaich said. "The office staff, with the assistance of Francis Hartnett, civil service board chairman, has decided that historical photographs of Mauch Chunk would be best suited for the walls. Keeping with the rich history of our town, we would like the Borough Hall to incorporate all phases of our past, essentially giving our residents a walk down memory lane when they visit."For more than a decade, the borough has rented space to operate both the township offices and the police department. Yaich said it was costing the borough about $30,000 annually to rent the space, which has added up to over a quarter of a million dollars over the years."In the beginning, we felt the rental money would be better spent on a mortgage to build," he said. "However, in the meantime, a grant that we applied for through the Department of Community and Economic Development came through in the amount of $500,000. The Borough ended up with the building paid in full."Anyone with artwork they would like to see displayed in the new building should contact borough secretary Louise McClafferty at (570) 325-3025.