The Feb. 8 meeting of Alburtis Borough Council began with the swearing in of a new part-time police officer, Joseph Britt.

The 25-year-old Britt graduated from the Lackawanna Police Academy and was in the Army National Guard for six years. His recent employment included the Slatington Police Department and Lehigh University. Britt also worked as a Allentown 911 dispatcher.

Next, council looked into a resident’s concern Borough Manager Sharon Trexler heard about via email Feb. 5. Alburtis resident Rebecca Ezolt addressed a concern she had regarding a tractor trailer consistently parked near the corner of Second Street close to Lockridge Park. It is difficult to turn onto Second Street because a car coming from Second Street needs to be in the lane of traffic.

Council agreed the truck should not be blocking a sight triangle. Council agreed to take a look at the issue and it was stated there was only a truck cab, not a trailer.

Council argued putting up a sign on Second Street would not work because the truck would just move to another street. It would be important to find an area where trucks would be able to park. It is believed the owner of the truck in question is an independent driver and not associated with the warehouses in the borough.

Ezolt also had a concern about the sidewalks on her street, Cobblestone Court. She explained the sidewalks are uneven so people can’t push strollers and kids can’t ride bikes or scooters on the sidewalk, leading them to play in the street instead.

The next item on the meeting’s agenda was a dog ordinance for the borough. The purpose of the ordinance would be to prevent people from keeping dogs outside in extreme temperatures. A resident had asked council to look into creating an ordinance based on the action of one of their neighbors. The borough sent the dog owners in question a letter asking them to take action regarding the situation and to complete a moving permit without much success.

Council said the resident is complying with what the state requires. The resident said they have dog houses with blankets and provide food and water. There was doubt amongst the borough council if it is enough of a problem for there to be an ordinance. Such an ordinance is not necessary for all animals. Some animals enjoy being outside in adverse temperatures.

Council decided to let the issue go for now and considered looking at animal ordinances in Emmaus as reference material.

A crosswalk on West Penn Avenue was next on the agenda. Since there has never been an accident in the area, the crosswalk would be more for speed control.

The owner of the property near the crosswalk has agreed to purchase the sign for the middle of the road. Council discussed the possibility of having a sign beforehand and said a traffic study of the area should be completed.

Lastly, council discussed the temporary closure of Schoeneck Road through April 13. Council explained the signs are up and it should not impact any of the residents.

The next meeting of Alburtis Borough Council will be Feb. 22. Borough council meets the second and last Wednesdays of each month. The meetings are held 7 p.m. in Alburtis Borough Hall.