Alburtis Borough Council plans to hold social distance-permitting events amid COVID-19 concerns.

When the Sept. 9 council meeting opened up to public comment, resident Chad Atkins inquired if the borough intended to allow trick-or-treating to continue this year.

Mayor Kathleen Palmer said she “had no intentions of canceling it,” and individuals who do not wish to participate in trick-or-treating can simply turn off their lights and remain uninvolved.

Borough Manager Sharon Trexler plans to post a notice on the borough website as well as send a call-out to inform residents to only approach homes with their lights on this year and remind them to social distance.

Council then moved on to discuss solid municipal waste bid contracts for three to four years.

Borough Solicitor Dave Knerr said council received one bid for solid waste services for $370,224 and a five- to six-year bid for $384,744. Knerr essentially delivered the information to council and explained they did not need to make a decision that night, as he still needed to review the bid package.

Next, council discussed parks and recreation.

Second Vice-President Kathleen Taggart said with $6,500 allotted to parks and recreation in the budget, she wished to purchase swings for the park for $3,565.

While council liked the idea of putting in new swings for children to enjoy, there was concern about recovery during the pandemic.

“I don’t have a problem with putting a swing down there,” President Ron DeIaco said. “I do have a concern about putting it down during our COVID-19 recovery. We don’t want kids to be going down there [when] that’s [going to] be a beautiful thing for them to play on.”

Vice President Steve Hill agreed with DeIaco and also brought up financial concerns.

“With COVID-19, and the unease about income, I don’t think now is the time to spend money on a swing,” Hill said.

DeIaco suggested postponing the installation of a new swing until spring.

Councilmember Hector Vasquez liked DeIaco’s proposition.

“I would like to see it go in next year, definitely,” Vasquez said. “It’s not something I want the kids to not have. I think we just have to take into consideration the kids’ health and safety and focusing on staying within budget for this year.”

Council carried a motion to postpone the purchase and installation until a later date.

Trexler then asked council if they wished to purchase cyber liability insurance. After evaluating their current methods of saving information, council concluded the purchase would be unnecessary.

Next, after Trexler discussed the vandalism to the Church Street “Welcome to Alburtis” sign, DeIaco wished to give thanks to the maintenance department for cleaning it up.

Lastly, Trexler said Macungie Borough Council inquired if Alburtis Borough Council would like to split the cost of a skid steer as both boroughs used one often in prior years. Trexler said the grand total amounts to $45,478 and Alburtis Borough would cover half, approximately $22,739.

Trexler agreed to look into rental costs and potentially discuss paying less than half of the cost as Alburtis Borough would likely use it less.

Council then carried a motion to adjourn as they discussed all agenda items.