Feb. 23 marked the second Alburtis Borough Council meeting of the month.

The meeting began with a question about a local ordinance violation by a resident to which Borough Manager Sharon Trexler replied that it was handled.

There was no report from Mayor Kathleen Palmer.

Councilman John Aleszcyzk made a comment about overspending on the engineering costs for a project taking place on Chestnut Street. Following his comments, the bills for payment was approved.

In administration, the first item was the introduction of Shawn Millan from the office of state Sen. Pat Browne, R-16th. He was there to observe and said he was excited to see if a new police chief would be announced.

A civil service commission representative announced Tony Alsleben has been approved as the new Alburtis Police chief. Council appointed Alsleben as the chief and he will be now going through a testing phase. Once completed, he will be approved and hired as the chief of police. The first year will be a one-year probationary period.

Local teen Zachary Bernhart, a Boy Scout with Troop 86 in Alburtis, was in attendance to announce his Eagle Scout project fundraiser was approved. This is a project to add landscaping and a pathway to the memorial plaque at the Alburtis Historical Society building off Church Street.

He asked council if he would be able to sell his Wawa sandwich vouchers at the Alburtis Borough building to raise money for the project. This was approved by council. He even sold some on the spot. Proceeds will be used to fund the project.

The next discussion was on eliminating a parking space at South Main and Front streets. Councilman Hector Moss wanted to eliminate the spot so cars can see better at the intersection. However, a disagreement began about how this would penalize those who utilize the two 10-minute parking spots at the corner.

The two sides argued whether taking the spot away would even be effective. Some felt they could easily see at the corner, while others felt it was difficult. However, the real issue is people were parking too close to the intersection instead of abiding by the lines.

It was decided the white lines at North Main and West Penn Avenue would be eliminated. The curb will be painted yellow from the beginning of the 10-minute parking spot up to the intersection. This was approved and an ordinance will be voted on at an upcoming meeting.

Following that, the playground set purchase was discussed. A quote was approved for a set costing a little over $22,000. The borough will be able to use American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 funds to assist with payment.

The playground set will be placed above the upper ball field by the Alburtis Elementary School.

The Saylor’s Lawn and Landscape mowing contract was approved. There was no increase in cost.

The last item on the agenda was about transmission issues with one of the police department’s unmarked cars. A motion was approved to fix the transmission.

The meeting was then adjourned. The next meeting will be held 7 p.m. March 9 at 260 Franklin St, Alburtis.