At the June 3 meeting, Catasauqua Borough Council, on the recommendation of Solicitor Jeffrey Dimmich, delayed appointing two officers to the police force.

Council approved hiring two officers several months ago, one to fill a vacancy and another to fill a potential retirement scheduled for July.

Council members interviewed candidates in May, but the Civil Service Commission, for reasons that remain confidential, did not select the top-scoring candidate on the list. That top candidate has the right to appeal the Civil Service Commission's decision. The candidate's appeal needs to be filed within 10 days of the date of the Civil Service notification and is first appealed with the Civil Service Commission.

Borough Manager Eugene Goldfeder indicated the final date to file the appeal would be June 13. The candidate has the option of continuing the process in Common Pleas Court and Commonwealth Court.

"We could go along with the commission's recommendations, but we run the risk that if the appeal is successful, the borough would be obligated to hire the candidate who won the appeal in addition to the recommended hires," he said. Councilman Alfred Regits made a motion to defer the hiring and council unanimously adopted the measure.

Also at the meeting, it was announced the Stein family, who donated property to the borough near municipal park has agreed to a dedication plaque suggested by the borough. The plaque will be mounted on a boulder and anchored to the site. Two or three park benches will be added to the passive recreational area.

Goldfeder reported that the proposed and often-delayed Second Street extension is officially canceled.

"PennDOT contends that much of the traffic along Lehigh and Race streets will be relieved by extending American Parkway," he said. Councilman Brian McKittrick remained skeptical about the decision.

Council President Brian Bartholomew explained the need to take property belonging to a federal historical site (the George Taylor House) complicated the decision. Also, the original bridge design would need to be altered because of changes in the flood zone assessment.

Present plans call for the intersection of Lehigh and Race streets to be widened to allow for left-turn lanes. No one was able to demonstrate how widening the roadways could be accomplished. According to Bar-tholomew, the latest traffic studies justify adding a light at Race and Lehigh.

"The prior studies always showed that we didn't need a light there," he said. The consensus is that nothing is going to happen at Race and Lehigh streets until American Parkway is completed and its impact on traffic determined.

Mayor Barbara Schlegel issued two congratulatory proclamations to Ashley Disla and Amber Shook who have been selected as People-To-People Ambassadors.

The program sends students on a 19-day tour of European countries. More than 500,000 students have participated in the program since its inception during the Eisenhower administration.