Macungie Borough Council approved April 15 the advertisment of their $1 million loan Request for Proposal to cover upcoming street projects. The RFP will be released to local banks expecting answers by April 29. Council president Chris Becker attests the borough is under no obligation to do anything else at this point, but when the responses roll in council will have to take action. The action taken Monday evening merely approves the advertisement and RFP, not any financing.

The RFP specifically requests a non-electoral tax exempt general obligation note not to exceed $1 million. Council would prefer a 15-year amortization, estimated by Valco Capital CEO Gary Pulcini as requiring about an $85,000 to $95,000 annual payment, something borough manager Chris Boehm suggests would be "suitable" for the borough to manage paying. However, the RFP also requests rate quotes on a 10-year amortization, estimated at about $100,000 to $110,000 in annual payments. Boehm said the RFP is being advertised to all banks in the general area.

Council also approved the application for a community development block grant. The $56,700 federal grant will cover 90 percent of costs for upgrading handicap ramps in association with street restoration projects scheduled for 2014-2015. Boehm said specifications from ADA have changed in the last three years. The grant application is for 14 ramps. The borough has to redo the ramps if sidewalk work comes within 15 feet of the ramp area.

The total cost of the project is $63,000. A 10 percent hard matching grant is now required to meet construction costs. This could potentially fall on the property owners of the 14 ramp areas in question. Without the grant the cost would amount to $4,500 per property owner, but with the grant it would only be $450 unless other resources are found to match the grant.

Macungie residents can take yard waste to the Emmaus Compost Site facility as in past years by purchasing a $20 permit at Borough Hall. The permit includes dropping off yard waste and mulch, and picking up mulch, as well as the disposal of Christmas trees.

Borough council encouraged residents to attend Earth Day clean-up at the borough park on the railroad side, 9 a.m. April 27. Anyone interested in participating in the opportunity to tidy up the borough can meet at the train station that morning. A few areas have been designated for clean-up.

Borough resident Jeanette Polizzi addressed council during the public comment section regarding her neighbor's dog, which for two years has caused her fear, discomfort, and inconvenience unchecked in a matter Polizzi refers to as "an issue of health and safety."

Up the street on Village Walk Drive lives a Rottweiler described as "vicious" and "downright scary." The dog has repeatedly appeared in Polizzi's and her other neighbor's yards across the road, probably by crawling under a fence that is in some state of disrepair, said Polizzi. She has contacted the dog's owner who says he can do nothing until the dog bites someone and Polizzi said she and her neighbor do not feel comfortable even sitting outside on their own porches. The dog has also defecated in her yard and the neighbor does not clean it up, which, Polizzi pointed out, is breaking borough ordinance.

Chief of Police Ed Harry has been apprised of the situation, appearing at least once at Polizzi's residence upon the occasion of the dog trespassing there. The chief and Polizzi's attorney attested nothing could be done unless the dog bites someone, a "tragedy" Polizzi does not want to encounter. She says the fence was reported and a police officer told her it was not up to code two years ago. Nothing has been done about it since then.

Polizzi asked if council could step in and do anything, since no one has yet fixed the broken fence or cleaned up after the dog (besides Polizzi herself).

Becker responded to Polizzi's concerns by assuring her he would address the matter with the borough manager in their weekly meeting and begin pursuing those same avenues Polizzi had tried.