Preliminary steps toward making plans to remodel a portion of the second floor of the North Catasauqua Borough Hall building are moving forward, according to borough council President Joe Keglovits.

At the Sept. 11 council meeting, he held in his hands a drawing of what the floor plan could look like.

The council had given Keglovits approval last month to have the drawings made, in cooperation with a business that wants to lease the space.

Keglovits reported the next step would be to have the plans approved by the state.

"Only one room is actually to be split into four offices," he said. The others will be open rooms, very adaptable should the company move out.

The business, as yet unnamed in council meetings, is willing to pay $90,000 of the estimated $100,000 to $125,000 renovation cost in lieu of making a lease payment "for 3 to 3-1/2 years," Keglovits said. The borough would have to provide the rest.

"We may be able to get a waiver for an elevator and not need one," Keglovits said. He proposed submitting the plan without one and then going to Harrisburg to seek a waiver on a state requirement to have elevator access to the second floor of a public building.

Keglovits said a small elevator adequate to hold a wheelchair and one other person could cost between $20,000 and $100,000.

The remodeling of the second floor would include three offices, a conference room and restroom. Currently, the building, a former elementary school, had been renovated for use as a police station, borough offices and fire department offices. Space on the second floor has been used only for storage.

The building will be 100 years old next year, Keglovits said.

"With what we've done already, this is a chance to get [a total of] 80 percent of the building updated," Keglovits said.

The council voted unanimously to submit the plans to Keystone Code Enforcement in order to get a building permit.

Also at the meeting, Keglovits reported the borough received a $27,000 grant to be used for a new police car. The funds are coming from the Northampton County Casino Grant program.