Council decided Jan. 9 there will be new curbing and sidewalks on Church Street this year in Alburtis, even though representatives from Alburtis Campfire and Dad Daughters Association objected and continually pleaded with council to waive the requirement, as they have been a recreational, not-for-profit organization in the borough since 1927.

In a proposal from Alburtis Campfire youth and leaders We-He-Lo, it states ACDDA "should be equal to other recreational facilities within the borough limits. There are no sidewalks at the recreation center, the swimming pool and the ball diamonds. The county property at Lockridge Park has no sidewalk and neither does the historical society or the ball diamond located on Church Street. We should be exempt from sidewalks and treated equally as all of the other recreational facilities in the borough," Faith DeIaco, Hope Andrews, Ron DeIaco and others in the audience of 14 people said.

Audience members said they did not want a lien on the property and removal of trees is very costly. Andrews suggested doing Rails to Trails but all suggestions were to no avail. Council President Steven Hill, Solicitor David Knerr and other members of council agreed the curbs were needed to control the flow of water and the sidewalks were needed for public safety and to provide a safe walk for the school children from Franklin Street down to the bridge.

Hill suggested they ask local big businesses for donations. Second Vice President Kathleen Raines suggested approaching the Boy Scouts for an Eagle project. Other suggestions were applying for grants, having fundraisers or hoagie sales to raise money.

Council then unanimously approved going ahead with the engineer's plans for the Church Street curb and sidewalk project.

In another matter, council discussed whether or not they are interested in taking over the Lockridge Historical Church from Lehigh County. Lehigh County Director of General Services Glen Solt told Hill it is on the county's agenda for their last meeting in January and Hill said he will attend the meeting if council is interested.

Mayor Kathleen Palmer and Councilperson Margaret McCormack were in favor of taking it over and David Lehr expressed interest if it is a historical building but was concerned about the expense. It was noted there are no bathrooms upstairs (there are two bathrooms downstairs) and no ramp. There is a question on the age of the furnace. Another question was if it would remain an historical building if repairs were done. Raines said there will be a high cost for maintenance of the building. Councilman John Aleszczyk was in favor of going to the meeting to find out what the county says. Hill instructed Secretary Sharon Trexler to contact Solt and ask him to come to the borough and talk with council.

In other business, Lauren Drive resident Lori Loccarini spoke with council about a vehicle with a boat attached to it parked directly across the street from her driveway making it difficult for her to exit her driveway, as she is disabled. She does not want to hit the vehicle when exiting her driveway and has approached the owners about the problem with no satisfaction. In fact the problem has become worse since the neighbor moved the vehicle and boat as it is even harder to maneuver by it. After discussing many ways the problem might be solved, council decided to follow Knerr's suggestion of giving the problem to the highway committee for their recommendations.

Lower Macungie Library representative Therese Schweyer thanked council for their continued support and mentioned upcoming events at the library. Joe Turchi will be hosting a free life coach seminar 6:30 p.m. Jan. 29. AARP is giving free tax aide for low to moderate income taxpayers in the library 1 to 5 p.m. Feb. 7. This is especially for people age 60 and older. Beginning 7 p.m. every Thursday, tax assistance will be given. The library now has 1,800 electronic books and continues to build their selection of e-readers.

State Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-134th, read a resolution from Speaker of the Pa. House Sam Smith, R-66th honoring the life of Robert Mader and his service to the community of Alburtis as a fourth generation volunteer firefighter holding many different positions at the fire company and for Mader's service on borough council, at Alburtis Recreation Center, with the Church of the Good Shepherd and as mayor of Alburtis before he passed away at age 77.

"Mader was the Rock of Alburtis who gave his time and talent to the borough. He gave his heart and time to the quality of life in Alburtis," Mackenzie said and presented the resolution to Shirley Mader, his widow.

Council went into an executive session at 8:15 p.m. to discuss a legal matter, reconvened at 9 p.m. and promptly adjourned.