During the Sept. 7 Macungie Borough Council meeting, the Hickory Street bridge was discussed. The borough will apply for a Local Share Account grant with the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. This will include a $100 charge as well as requiring a commitment letter stating the borough will match the amount of the grant which is $69,429. The application for applying for the grant was approved by council.

The HVAC system at Macungie Institute is being evaluated. It was determined the system is outdated and should be refurbished. In addition, the police station’s system HVAC was also evaluated. Both are being considered for an upgrade.

A resident asked about the bump outs on Main Street. He was questioning who was responsible for the planting in them.

Another resident raised concerns about water issues on Church and Locust streets.

The former Weis market is to be redeveloped. Lower Macungie Township is working on this as well as Macungie Borough as a portion of the property is in the borough.

Macungie will have its Halloween parade Oct. 23.

Macungie Institute is holding bingo games to help raise money for the building in Macungie Park.

Luminaries were to be placed in the flower garden Sept. 11 in honor of 3,000 people who lost their lives 20 years ago in the 9/11 attacks.

The Red Cross has assisted borough residents recently who have experienced flood damage.

The Macungie Institute was discussed during the meeting. There are several entities involved in this situation.

There are the Friends of Macungie Institute who attended school in the building. They care about the building and its functions. The trustees were appointed by council. There are three with one honorary member. Council is ultimately responsible for the building. All have intentions for the building but are having conflicts over the usage.

There is a need for a coordinator but it is difficult to determine a job description due to the nature of the services being discussed. Ongoing discussions are being held to get this task underway.

There was a Department of Environmental Protection audit. This is done every five years. The report received was good. The focus was on Cotton Street.

Macungie Police Officer Erin McFarland has experienced medical issues and her doctor has said she cannot return to her job. She was honorably discharged. Mayor Ron Conrad expressed his gratitude for all her years of service.