The Macungie Borough Council July 17 meeting began with public comments.

Resident Dennis Fritz was at the previous meeting to discuss reviewing a possible noise ordinance for the borough. Members of the police department and Mayor Gary Cordner looked into the ordinance and believed it was not necessary.

Council said noise complaints should go to the restaurant manager.

There was also a discussion about the Church Street traffic light and the crosswalks in the borough.

A representative from Macungie Park attended the meeting and said volunteers are needed for upcoming park events such as Das Awkscht Fest and Wheels of Time. Interested volunteers can contact the park at 610-966-4289.

Another topic discussed at the meeting was a letter the borough received from Benjamin Spencer, an ex-Macungie borough firefighter. The letter involved training verification from the fire department.

Borough Council President Chris Becker said some things in the letter will be discussed during the August meetings. Becker was very upset by the letter.

“A person who writes a letter like this should have the decency to show up and speak to me in person,” Becker said.

The bid for the refuse contract was another item on the agenda. Council created several different bids for the refuse contract varying the number of pickups per week and the length of the contract. There was also a conversation about pickup hours.

There was also a short conversation about crosswalks and right of ways. Council said pedestrians have the right of way only at the crosswalks, not between blocks. There is hope the current intersection renovations make the streets safer to cross.

Council wanted to look into the Macungie Institute budget. In recent years, the Macungie Institute has struggled to make ends meet and council has been forced to partially fund them.

The majority of the institute’s budget comes from payroll. The coordinator position at the institute has a salary of around $70,000. Council wondered if the position could be cut back to a part-time position.

“Is this a significant loss that we are willing to take on every single year?” Becker asked.

Council talked about how the property was originally created as a community center for education, not a rental property. There was an agreement there is a lack of sufficient volunteerism.

“The Macungie Institute has not lived up to what its founders expected from it,” Council Vice President Roseann Schleicher said.

Council also talked about looking into replacing its emergency management coordinator due to poor meeting attendance. Council plans to fill out the necessary paperwork at the state level. There were three instances where council wanted to reach the emergency management coordinator and he was unavailable.

The next Macungie Borough Council meeting will be 7:30 p.m. Aug. 7. Council meetings take place on the first and third Mondays of the month in Macungie Borough Hall.