Paramount on the minds of residents throughout the borough since last Sunday's devastating fire, news of what will become of the historic building that housed Diamond Fire Company's social hall was announced at Walnutport's Borough Council Workshop meeting Thursday.

"Right now, the main concern is a safety issue ... we're worried about a collapse," said fire restoration experts Rick Hoyt, branch manager, and Greg Miller, estimator and emergency service manager, of Mellon Certified Restoration, of Allentown.Hoyt said the roof and portions of the upper floor of the building, including the bell tower, need to be taken down and that, until that happens, the section of Washington Street currently closed down to traffic and pedestrians is "an absolute necessity.""It's a big issue," he said. "We don't want any bodily injury, anybody getting hurt ... that's a really big concern."Hoyt said his company simply needs to await approval from the insurance company but is otherwise able to begin work as soon as Monday.He added that it should take his crews, using 250-ton cranes from the outside, about two weeks to secure the property, during which time traffic on Main Street, by use of certified traffic control officers, will be reduced to one lane and occasionally halted altogether."The bell tower is probably the first thing that's going to come down," said Miller, "That's probably the most insecure part ...(and could actually) fall into Main Street."He added that, though they are not structural engineers, they believe the only other part of the building in jeopardy is that the roof could collapse to the inside of the building, pushing the outside walls out."We will definitely keep that road closed for the duration," Mayor Wayne Weidner said."Once that roof is taken off the rest of the building is secure, it's sound." Weidner said.Hoyt and Miller later added that, though the entire building will need to be gutted and remodeled, they do believe it is salvageable and that the roof can be rebuilt.They added that the bell will be the first item saved.In other news, Amy Angelo, a trainer coordinator with the Catholic Charities, Dioceses of Allentown, discussed a new United Way initiative, Gatekeepers Program, which has been implemented in Northampton and Lehigh counties.She said the program, in partnership with the local Area Agency on Aging, is "a strategic approach to reaching senior citizens who are falling through the cracks, not getting connected to services in a timely manner."Angelo asked Walnutport to consider the no-cost training for its employees, noting that Washington Township has already agreed to the training, which she said helps people identify "red flags" as far as a senior being in need of services and what to do about it.Secretary Annette Lacko said that leaf collection within the borough, which started Oct. 27, will continue on Mondays or Tuesdays on the north end of town to Main Street, Wednesdays from Main Street to New Street and Thursdays from New Street to Third Avenue from Nov. 10 to Dec. 4.