Orlando Cruz of 317 Second St. and Debra Bundra of 317 1/2 Second St. were the subject of a public hearing during the Sept. 10 Catasauqua Council meeting.

The public hearing asked the borough to vacate a portion of a gravel access road behind the Second Street properties. Residents access the alley off Peach Street, but the road dead ends at a pine tree before it can connect to Tunnel Street.

There are four properties with an interest in the alley, but only Cruz and Bundra appeared for the hearing.

Council passed a motion to establish the "No Parking" zone unanimously.

According to Cruz, because adequate parking is available to the tenants, the owners of an apartment on the east side of the alley did not object to the change. The owners of the property at the corner of the alley and Peach Street are not affected by the requested change because none of their property fronts on the portion of the alley that would be vacated.

Cruz wants to open his fenced-in backyard so that he can park his car off the street and off the alley.

"They [Bundra and her son] often block access," said Cruz.

Access, as Cruz later clarified, is his ability to exit the narrow alley. Bundra has a garage that fronts the alley. She also uses the garage to store her car.

A second car parked in front of the garage on the narrow alley can impede Cruz's ability to exit the alley.

"If we call the police about parking, they say it's a civil matter," said Cruz.

Bundra and Cruz contended no one owns the alley. Bundra claimed she and her family have done all the maintenance work on the alley for as long as they have lived in the house.

Borough Public Works Director Jeff MacHose verified the borough does not plow the alley during snowstorms and Police Chief Douglas Kish said police do not patrol along the gravel strip.

According to borough Manager Eugene Goldfeder, the alley is a designated street on the borough's official street map.

"The street doesn't have a name," he said in response to questions.

Solicitor Jeffrey Dimmich did note if the borough vacates the property, it is required to apportion the property among the owners, which would include the apartment property owner who has no interest in the alley.

"If we granted the request, you would still not be able to achieve what you want to do," Councilman Eugene Schlegel told Cruz.

Councilman Vincent Smith proposed that the borough deny the request and instead post the area as a "No Parking" area, which will alleviate the tension between the neighbors.

Completing the street to an intersection with Tunnel Street could resolve the problem, but it was deemed not feasible.