The March 20 meeting of the Macungie Borough Council began with an annual presentation from Chris Gerb of the Macungie Ambulance Corp.

In 2016, the Macungie Ambulance Corp responded to 3,689 calls, an all-time record and 206 more than in 2015. Of the calls, 317 of the calls in 2016 were in Macungie Borough, accounting for 10 percent of the total calls for the year.

The largest percentage of the calls came from Lower Macungie Township which had 2,292 calls, accounting for 69 percent of the calls for 2016.

Gerb talked about the addition of an ambulance, which should arrive in mid-2017 bringing Macungie Ambulance Corps’ total to five. The ambulance and required supplies would cost more than $200,000. Gerb also discussed an incident support vehicle which was added in 2016. This vehicle replaced an ambulance previously retired.

In other business, Landon Garcia of Boy Scout Troop 131 discussed a plan for his Eagle Scout Project which included renovating the Macungie Train Station. Garcia’s plan would include adding benches, picnic tables and modernizing a few signs. The new signage would be donated by one of Garcia’s relatives who owns a graphics company. Some benches currently exist at the train station, but there are not any picnic tables. The project would also include painting or staining of the roof and bulletin board. The project is estimated to cost between $1,000 and $1,500. Garcia was raising the money for the project from local businesses as well as other donations.

“I really want to give back to the community and this seemed like a good way to do it,” Garcia said.

Garcia admitted the project would be challenging, but definitely seemed to be up for the project.

“This would definitely be a challenge for me and that is what I want in my Eagle Scout project,” Garcia said.

Macungie Borough Council President Chris Becker said he would have to discuss the project with groups that care for the train station before the project can be approved.

Macungie Resident Ralph Bartman asked about adding a traffic light at the Main Street and Church Street intersection during the public comment section of the meeting. Becker said there is nothing that can be done about the light at the moment due to negotiations with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

Becker talked about adding crosswalks in the intersection as well as a traffic light, which probably would not be put in until September or November. He explained the difference between the borough and PennDOT is that PennDOT cares about roads being passable for large tractor trailers while the borough wants to focus more on pedestrian safety.

The meeting ended with two decisions. The first decision was a unanimous vote to extend the time for the Main Street Commons Land Development and Lot Line Adjustment Plan until July 31. The other topic discussed was the extension of the current refuse and recycling contract until Oct. 31, 2019. The borough council decided to wait for the solicitor to make a decision on the contract. Council questioned why the contract was for two years instead of one. There were also questions whether trash bills have been reduced.

The Macungie Borough Council meets on the first and third Monday of each month. The next meeting will be 7:30 p.m. April 3 at Macungie Borough Hall.