At Coplay Borough Council’s workshop session Dec. 6, resident Anne Killeen asked council for a resolution on an encroachment problem with a garden wall erected by her neighbor.

The borough had granted a permit for a garden wall along the front of a home belonging to Killeen’s neighbor. The homes are separated by an alley. According to Killeen, the wall was erected and did not allow for a proper easement along the alley. Easements along the alleys are 3 feet wide to accommodate sidewalks if they are installed.

There is an existing retaining wall erected in the easement. It has been in place for decades and is allowed to stay until it is changed or replaced. If sidewalks are added to the alley, the wall needs to be removed.

Ronald Helman, the borough’s code enforcement officer, indicated all the information on the easement was not readily available when the permit was granted.

“I looked at the wall. It was originally out to the curb, and I asked them to cut it back,” he said.

The contractor reduced the wall 2 feet so it would tie into the existing retaining wall, Helman said.

In an extended conversation, council agreed the wall should be code compliant. A letter will be sent to the homeowner identifying the required change. The wall is not mortared in place; the ashlar blocks are dry-stacked and angled against the ground.

In other business, Councilman Charles Sodl expressed his concern over a report from public works Director Paul Boyle on the state of mechanical equipment at the borough’s firehouse. Boyle recommended several mechanical improvements in the area used by the Commitment to Family & Community (CFC). There is a concern about fire-suppression equipment at the grill.

“We need to get that portion fixed quickly. The other items are most likely our responsibility because we own the building,” Boyle said. “The equipment needed to bring the grill up to acceptable standards is a cost for the CFC.”

The CFC board members will be given a letter instructing them to get the building in compliance no later than January 2017.

Sodl recommended that the CFC close down its kitchen if it could not meet the requirements by January. The CFC has a scheduled monthly breakfast on the third Sunday of the month. The new system is expected to be operational before the event.

Boyle estimated the cost to get the fire-suppression system in compliance at $3,000.

Council opened bids for an air-conditioning system for the CFC side of the fire station. The apparent low bidder is AFL Mechanical with a bid of $22,699. The township engineer will review the bid, and it will be voted on at council’s next meeting.

Council will also reappoint members of the Coplay Library Board.

Borough Secretary Sandra Gyeseck read a letter of resignation from the borough’s health officer.