The reconfiguration of the Slatington Borough Police Station continues to move ahead. During Monday night's monthly board meeting, borough council agreed to a proposed construction bid of $10,300 for the addition of a new wall complete with bullet-resistant glass and service window at the entrance to the station. The borough received three quotes for the job with council voting to accept the lowest bid.

"We told each contractor specifically what we were looking for. If the specs are the way we want it, I'd say go with the lowest quote," said Police Chief David Rachman.Councilman Joe Wechsler told the board police have answered over 189 calls during the month of April."Sooner or later one of these calls is going to be from within the station. We need to secure it and make it safe," he said.The department will be receiving six new bulletproof vests later in the month for full-time officers. The price tag for the new custom-fit equipment will be $5,539 with a grant from the Justice Assistance program picking up 50 percent of the tab. The current vests are set to become outdated by the end of May.During the meeting Rachman read a letter of appreciation written by a neighboring borough's Police Chief Pete Wayda. In the letter Walnutport's Wayda expressed his appreciation for the assistance of the Slatington force during the April 11 robbery suspect apprehension that took place on the Main Street Bridge.According to Wayda, "Their assistance was invaluable."Wayda requested the letter be placed in each officer's file."We are out there, trying to do good things," Rachman said.The Walnut Street Playground has been vandalized in recent months, leading the borough to agree to a stricter closing time for the park. According to Rachman, the vandalism occurred around dusk when borough officers are at their busiest. The chief suggested getting a new key for the gate made so nearby resident Dwight Smith can lock the gate at 9 p.m."It's a busy time of night for us and since Dwight lives close by I suggest getting him a key to lock it at night and unlock it in the morning," Rachman said.Rachman also informed the borough of the force's intentions to more heavily enforce Department of Transportation regulations for truck weight requirements within borough limits."A lot of municipalities do truck enforcement. It's a safety issue and will generate revenue for us. There are a lot of uninspected trucks out there and it will really increase revenue for us," he told the board.Along with awarding the station bid, the borough agreed on a veteran-owned construction business to complete the West Franklin Street repair project. There had been discussion during April's meeting on whether the board had to award Baker and Baker Paving the job since it was not the lowest bidder.Federal regulations require contracting jobs be awarded to veteran-owned businesses, according to Councilman David Schnaars."Vet owned business have a special privilege to get contracts as long as it is within 10 percent of the lowest bid," he said. The cost for the street repair will be an estimated $92,000.