Local officials continue their efforts to keep the doors open at the Northampton Borough Senior Center. During the Aug. 20 Northampton County Council meeting, county Executive Tara Zrinski said she and others are continuing to work toward finding funding for operations.

“Administration is still working with (state) Sen. Nick Miller and the mayor of Northampton Borough, Tony Pristash, to secure funds to keep the senior center going,” Zrinski said. “That should be resolved within the next week.”

Zrinski did not provide any further details to council on the matter.

In April, Northampton County announced the Northampton Borough and Lower Nazareth senior centers would be closed as of June 30, due to a reduction of nearly $400,000 in the county’s Area Agency on Aging budget.

The reduction stemmed from state budget cuts and federal legislation, Zrinski said during a May county council meeting.

Zrinski also provided an update on Gracedale Nursing Home during her report to council.

She met with representatives from Gov. Josh Shapiro’s office to discuss the future of the facility and “the work required to preserve and modernize the essential county-owned public nursing home,” she said.

“Following that discussion, I distributed a letter to Gov. Josh Shapiro requesting the commonwealth’s partnership in a long-term sustainability and modernization strategy for Gracedale,” Zrinski said. “I will also provide the letter to our state legislative delegation and ask them to help champion that effort.”

The request is focused on priorities such as a coordinated liaison team, support for feasibility studies and assessments, partnership on Medicaid-related issues, a workforce plan connecting Gracedale with community colleges and nursing schools and identifying funding for various improvements, Zrinski said.

Additionally, Zrinski told council Thomas Carson, the county’s new continuum of care director, is settling into his new role during his first couple of weeks.

Council voted unanimously to approve a resolution opposing Buzzi Unicem’s request for proposed reductions of nitrogen oxide and volatile organic compound emission controls at its Stockertown plant.

In the resolution, council calls on the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to deny the request and require the facility to maintain “strong” emission controls.

Citing documented concerns over respiratory health, ozone particle pollution and asthma, the resolution went on to state “Northampton County Council reaffirms its commitment to clean air, advancing public health, supporting the Lehigh Valley Breathe Initiative and ensuring that all county residents have the opportunity to live, work, learn and raise their families in healthy communities.”

The resolution will be forwarded to the DEP, governor’s office and appropriate state and federal officials and legislators, county officials said.

Jeff Warren, county council vice president, said he also wanted to organize a letter to send along with the resolution.

“I believe this is a serious issue, and I think we need to do what we can for our natural environment, specifically in this area,” Warren said.

In other news from the Aug. 20 meeting, council voted to approve a resolution for a Blue Mountain tower lease agreement with Pencor Services; updated Department of Human Services pay scales to align with state changes; a memorandum of understanding to again fund the Penn State Extension office and services in Northampton County; and a five-year contract totaling $235,800 with Gabriel, Roeder, Smith and Company of Southfield, Mich., for retirement and pension actuarial consulting services.

All approvals were unanimous.