During the North Catasauqua Borough Council meeting April 3, it was announced Mayor William J. Molchany Jr. was given the Mayor of the Year award by the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce during the recent Mayors’ and Municipal Officials’ Reception event.

Molchany said he was shocked, not expecting that result, but extremely grateful for the recognition.

Council members took a moment at the meeting to congratulate Molchany on this honor.

In other news, a member of the Catasauqua Youth Athletic Association proposed an idea of youth baseball in the borough this spring. He mentioned that while current CYAA games and practices take place at Opportunity Field, it would be a great alternative to have T-ball back at North Catasauqua William J. Albert Memorial Park on Grove Street.

The organization would only need some equipment, such as netting and poles, to begin practice.

Council raised concerns about insurance liability, specifically about the chance of a ball hitting a parked car or residence across from the field.

Board Solicitor Steven Goudsouzian said the CYAA organization would need to add the borough as an additional insurer, which is a standard request for these types of matters.

Council Vice President John Yanek questioned whether the borough would have any funds to contribute to the purchasing of equipment. Borough Treasurer Annette Englert said there may be some usable funds in the open space fund, which was confirmed by Goudsouzian.

A motion was made to accept the request of CYAA for T-ball practice at the North Catasauqua park, permitting insurance approval. The borough’s public works department will be responsible for purchasing the equipment, which will belong to the borough at the end of the season.

Although the practice has been approved pending the insurance and equipment, the organization will have to schedule around U6 soccer practice and community events. More information is to come.

Police Chief Chris Wolfer confirmed he and fire Chief Roger Scheirer will be conducting a traffic study at the intersection of Fourth and Chapel streets. This area is notorious for accidents, and the borough is looking to address the matter before a serious crash occurs.

Scheirer also mentioned the fire station received a grant from the state in the amount of $11,000. He used the grant to purchase new thermal imaging cameras for the fire engines and survivor lights. Some funds still remain, but he will utilize those funds so the fire station will still be entitled to the same amount next year.

In other news, a resident appeared before the board to discuss his concern with the updated inspection policies and fees, which recently increased to $75 per inspection.

The resident is the owner of a rooming house and is required to have each room inspected, with a fee applied to each room. He said other municipalities handle rooming houses with a different approach and accused the borough of making changes to the policy without discussion from residents.

Goudsouzian and borough Secretary Tasha Jandrisovits said the borough is extremely transparent with its decision-making, as the matters are advertised in newspaper publications and are discussed during council meetings before the voting. The discussion went back and forth while the council heard his concerns, but ultimately, the changes have already been made to the inspection code policy.

North Catasauqua Borough Council will next meet 7 p.m. April 17 in the municipal meeting, 1066 Fourth St. To view the agenda ahead of time, visit northcatasauqua.org and look under the news tab.