The Emmaus Lions Club presented the Emmaus Police Department with a check in the amount of $16,250 at the Sept. 5 Emmaus Borough Council meeting.

Emmaus Police Chief Jason Apgar introduced Sgt. Adam Polster and his K-9 partner Leo. K-9 Ronny retired Aug. 17 and remains under the care of his handler Sgt. Vincent Murante.

K-9 Leo went into service Aug. 18 after two months of training and certifications.

Apgar said the K-9 program started in 1990 and Leo is the eighth K-9 to join the force.

“This is only possible because of the cooperation, support and dedication by the Emmaus Lions Club, who from the beginning, for the last 30 years, has made it their dedication to pay for the dog and the training.”

Lion Henry Heil presented the check on behalf of the Emmaus Lions Club.

Members of the Emmaus Lions Club attended the meeting to present the check to cover the cost of Leo, training for Leo and Polster as well as the cost of a kennel and moving fee for the kennel.

In other business, the Aug. 21 meeting minutes were approved.

The request for an East Penn Press vending box to be placed at the Emmaus Public Library was referred to the general administration committee.

Ordinance 1246 was approved regarding parking regulations in Emmaus. This was a second reading of the ordinance.

First reading of Ordinance 1248 was held regarding a residential disabled parking sign in front of 414 Keystone Ave.

There was no report from Mayor Lee Ann Gilbert.

Johnathan White was approved as the parks and facilities director for Emmaus pending completion of a background check. His salary will be $73,500 with three weeks vacation and a start date of Sept. 11.

Council voted to remove volunteer Bernadette Patterson from the recreation and entertainment commission.

Emmaus borough received a Fire 2023 Training Center Capital Grant in the amount of $100,000 to fix the fire tower. Borough Manager Shane Pepe said they are still $65,000 short; once the trailer is sold they were housed in during construction, that will cover the remaining cost.

Council members approved a Memorandum of Agreement with the Public Works union.

Pepe said in the past it was inexpensive to obtain a CDL license. Since the law changed, a person must attend a school to obtain the license at a cost of between $3,000 and $5,000.

“This is a big budget constraint,” Pepe said adding, “It also changes the way we’ll hire.”

The agreement prioritizes the employees who will obtain CDL licenses. First priority will be new employees who were hired knowing they didn’t have their license. They will need to get their license within their probationary period. The second priority will be those who need a license which was negotiated during the recent union contract moving from Class B to Class A and moving to a Level 4. The third priority is anyone grandfathered in the last contract negotiation.

Pepe provided an update on the move back into the renovated building and some items needing completion.

Sept. 16 will be a busy day in Emmaus. The Emmaus Heritage Festival will be held 11 a.m.to 3 p.m. at The Emmaus Historical Society, 218 Main St. The event is held in conjunction with all three historic sites, the Emmaus Public Library, the Emmaus Main Street Partners and God’s Acre/Moravian Church. Sept. 16 is also Dumpster Day at the Fire Training Grounds on Klines Lane 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Knauss Homestead, 152 E. Main St., will hold its Harvest Festival noon to 5 p.m. Sept. 16. The Farewell to Summer Festival will also be held 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Emmaus Triangle and Main Street.

Council President Brent Labenberg announced the passing of former Emmaus Police Department Sgt. Dean Weber Aug. 30. He served the department for 28 years retiring in 1993.

Editor’s Note: A photo of the presention by the Emmaus Lions Club and a profile on the organization and an upcoming fundraiser will be in the Sept. 20 edition of The Press.