Emmaus Borough Council unanimously approved several renovations to Legion Field at Community Park during their Aug. 20 meeting.

The approximately $50,000 in renovations will be paid for through various donations along with between $25,000 and $30,000 funded by the Emmaus Youth Association. The project was approved to go forward pending Americans with Disabilities Act compliance.

The field portion of the project will be conducted by Bill Butler and the IronPigs' crew who will oversee renovations including leveling and sodding the infield while also conditioning the soil. New dugouts will be donated and built by Zgura's Concrete Services, Inc. The borough will help install the water lines for a new irrigation system and EYA volunteers will clean and paint the backstop.

According to John Eyer, chairman of EYA, the project is expected to start after the IronPigs season ends in mid-September. He said the field portion of the project will take the IronPigs crew four to five days.

Eyer said the field will be completed and open in plenty of time for next baseball season. He said he hopes to continue to raise funds for future projects including leveling the outfield, a fence and a new backstop eight feet back from the current one.

Eyer said EYA would like to get Emmaus sports teams playing in the borough again and renovations could help the effort, saving East Penn School District money spent on bussing students to Lower Macungie.

He said some softball games will be played at Kiwanis Park this season and the renovations at Legion Field will help make Community Park more useful to everyone.

Council also passed an ordinance prohibiting the feeding of waterfowl on borough owned properties. The ordinance was passed unanimously and sets a fine of no less than $100 and no more than $300 for any offense. The borough has been having problems with geese droppings at various parks with an emphasis on Furnace Dam Park.

Council approved renovations to redesign Borough Hall with a total cost of $15,450. They plan to better utilize space in the downstairs area by taking out the jail cell from the former police headquarters. The redesigning portion of the project is the first step in a multiphase plan to update the facility. They would like to create a more permanent layout before eventually installing new windows and a HVAC unit within the next two or three years.

The new layout will give Public Works Director Jeff Clapper an office downstairs, move Borough Manager Shane Pepe's office across the hall and give codes enforcement more room for file management.

The plan will give borough employees a little more privacy when dealing with the public and streamline the building usage to better utilize all of the space.

The first reading of an ordinance prohibiting large trucks from parking on borough streets was passed at the meeting. Council unanimously supported the first step in the ordinance process.

"This (ordinance) has been long overdue and has been an issue since my first term in office," Lee Ann Gilbert said.

Pepe said it is a safety concern and there are line of sight issues in addition to curb destruction resulting from the commercial vehicles parked in the borough. Brent Labenberg said he was once against an ordinance prohibiting truck parking but has since heard of instances where truckers from outside the borough came to Emmaus to park because they are allowed to park for free.

Council accepted the resignation of Donna Nonnemacher from the Emmaus Ambulance Corps after 20 years of service.

Gilbert said Nonnemacher has been a valuable asset to the department for many years.

"I would like to echo that (sentiment) and thank her for all of the lives she has touched," Mike Waddell said.