Emmaus Borough Council approved the purchase of a new sound system for the arts pavilion at its May 20 meeting.

The new sound system was requested by the Special Entertainment Commission and will cost $9,335, which will be paid for through the Strickler fund.

"There will be new mics, new mic wires and new speakers that will hang from the rafters and pointed down toward the audience instead of the old speakers that were just hanging on the wall," Council member Brian Holzhafer said. "The number one concern was there was a PA system that was not for music." Holzhafer said the hope is it will be cheaper for bands to perform because they will no longer have to bring their own sound equipment.

"It seems like an extensive system that will be able to handle a small band or a larger band, but a very large band would probably still bring their own equipment," Council member Wes Barrett said. "For the most part, it takes care of all the problems that we commonly run into like there's not enough microphones or you can't hear them; all the essential complaints we've heard over the past 10 years."

Borough Manager Shane Pepe said the Strickler Fund is a trust fund of about $25,000 set up with specific requirements to help make improvements in Emmaus Community Park. "We looked at the fund numerous times for different things and in this case we thought upgrading the sound system would be a very good use of some of those funds," Pepe said.

Council also unanimously approved the Emmaus Main Street Partners Keystone Communities Agreement. Council member Jeffrey Shubzda said the agreement states the municipality supports the Emmaus Main Street Partners, their mission, five-year strategic plan and five-year sustainability plan. Shubzda added Emmaus Main Street Partners met with the board with "quite a bit of documentation of what their plan is and it's very, very well done."

Council member Nathan Brown said the agreement will help Emmaus Main Street Partners become a state accredited Main Street Partners organization. "I think it's very helpful for us," Brown said. "It brings in grant dollars and businesses. They're a big asset to the community." The agreement does not cost the borough any money. Council member Michael Waddell said there would be a dedication of the community center of the arts 6:30 p.m. May 31 in Town Hall. "There's a hallway [in Town Hall] with wire screens and there will be art hanging in there," Waddell said. Immediately after the dedication, Waddell said there will be the unveiling of seven rain barrels painted by local artists.

The next borough council meeting will be held June 3 in Town Hall.