At the Feb. 1 Coplay Borough Council workshop meeting, Councilman Rick Kern noted the borough is still vying for a grant via the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency that would provide funds to equip police officers with body cameras.

Also, the borough fire department is seeking a federal grant that would provide gas meters and thermal imaging equipment.

Police Chief Vincent Genovese reported Officer Nathan Smith, who has been with the Coplay Police Department for more than a year, is ready to move from a 32-hour position into a full-time position. Council will vote on this change at the regular meeting Feb. 8.

Councilman Mark Molitoris asked Genovese how the borough is enforcing the ordinance that requires residents to clear their sidewalks of snow. It was noted that if an officer notices sidewalks are not clear or if a complaint is filed with the police, Genovese would likely issue a warning to the property owner. If the sidewalks remain snow covered after a warning is given, a ticket may be issued.

Currently, Commitment to Family and Community rents a building on Cherry Street owned by the borough for $500 per month. The rental agreement ends Feb. 28. The CFC has reported it will not renew the agreement but would like to rent the facility for one more month, which would extend the lease through March 2022.

Council members discussed the positives and negatives of this decision and will review the issue with the borough solicitor before they take the topic to a vote at the next meeting.

The Coplay Senior Citizens Club holds meetings at the Cherry Street building twice a month. The club members are concerned that if another party leases the building, they may not be able to hold their meetings at the facility.

Mayor Steve Burker mentioned he assured the club he will do all he can to allow the club to still meet at the building or will help find another venue for them.

“We owe the borough seniors that much,” Burker said.

Councilman Charles Sodl, along with Genovese, met with personnel from Catasauqua about restricting truck traffic within the borough since Catasauqua has already gone through this exercise. Sodl mentioned Chestnut and North Ruch streets in Coplay are areas of concern regarding truck traffic.

Sodl brought this topic up last year and promised to investigate how to ease the heavy truck traffic in the community. The next step is to discuss a proposed ordinance with the borough solicitor and to have an engineering report.

On the subject of parks and recreation, Molitoris reported the borough will have to revisit the lifeguard wages, which are currently $9 per hour, in order to be more competitive with other local pools. Also, the committee is exploring the replacement of the chain-link fence surrounding the pool.

Councilwoman Janet Eisenhauer, who also serves as president of the Coplay Public Library board, expressed gratitude to all who contributed to the library’s latest fundraiser, which yielded more than $2,200.