Eight-year-old Keenan Cook of Hometown learned an important civics lesson Tuesday night: One determined person can make a difference.

Keenan and his family attended Tuesday's Tamaqua Borough Council meeting in case council members had any questions concerning a letter the youth wrote to them after a July 9 incident on Schuylkill Avenue.That day, like many others, Keenan and his mom were traveling along Schuylkill Avenue. They noticed traffic was tied up between Locust Street and Route 309.As they inched forward, they saw a dead duck in the middle of the road, obviously having been struck by a passing vehicle.While that may have caused traffic to slow, the real reason for the tie-up was the group of seven or eight ducks surrounding their fallen friend, seemingly trying to get the body out of the middle of the street.Keenan's mom stopped and removed the body, which led the other ducks to move to the side of the street.The boy was so upset by the incident, he decided to ask Tamaqua Council to install some type of warning or duck crossing signs in the area. His letter was read as part of the correspondence during Tuesday's meeting.Council did have follow-up questions for Keenan, including looking for more specifics so the signs could be placed in the right area after they were approved. The young man said the large duck presence in the area could lead to an accident, possibly injuring more ducks or even people.His request was granted, unanimously, and he was invited to meet with Tamaqua Borough manager Kevin Steigerwalt to work out the placement.In regular business, Councilman Dave Mace provided updates on the Howard D. Buehler Memorial Park."Thanks to a massive effort by Rob Jones (assistant borough manager), the lifeguards, pool personnel and some dedicated volunteers after the flooding on June 30, the pool was reopened in just five days. The area looked like a muddy river on July 1, but we were able to reopen on July 5. Their cleanup effort was phenomenal."Mace also thanked Lansford Borough Council and Lansford Pool manager Mary Ann Krajnak for their response by graciously honoring Tamaqua pool passes for the five-day period.Mace also said a grant application has been submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for funding to be used toward new bath houses at the pool. He hopes to have a reply from DCNR by September.