Tamaqua's home rehab loan program has been suspended since November.

Since then, Director of Community Development Mary Linkevich has been working diligently to get all accounts current. Additionally, council has been mulling over whether the program should be continued or not.Councilman Dan Evans provided some insight as to how the borough hopes to revamp the program and get it back up and running in the near future."We want to change the program focus," he said. "One of the focuses should be the major components of the home. Our preliminary discussion is refocusing the home rehab portion of it on structural things like roof replacement, window replacement, or furnace and hot water replacement."In the past, loans in the amounts of $15,000-$20,000 have been given out. Evans said that the borough is looking at a tighter loan ceiling."With other programs, the numbers aren't that high," he said. "We've loaned people a lot of money to do a lot of different things," he said. Evans said the borough is also looking at how to better facilitate the program for sidewalk repairs, and is even considering a potential rehab program where the borough takes on rehabbing properties and selling them.Evans pointed to a property on Pine Street that was recently funded by the borough and then sold.Councilman Micah Gursky pointed out that while the sale price of the property did not quite cover the expenses of rehabbing the property, getting the property back into sale condition and having it back on the tax rolls is continuing to bring money into the community.Council President David Mace said Linkevich has made significant progress in bringing many of the existing loans into a current status and will be working with the borough's attorney to pursue some of the delinquencies.While several council members, including Brian Connely and Tom Cara, are hoping to see all existing loans brought current and better guidelines in place before the program is reinstituted, Evans said they are hoping to continue to push the program along."I'm excited about it," he said.Other businessCouncil also:• Accepted the resignation of Judith Hadesty RN from the Board of Health. Hadesty had been serving as the board's health officer and on the Board of Health for 47 years. Council thanked her for her service and said they will begin searching for a suitable, qualified candidate to fill the position. Accepted the application of James Frie, of Valley Road, and appointed him to the Board of Health to fill another vacancy that opened last year;• Approved a request from Terry White of Van Gelder Street to consolidate two halves of a double lot and a rear lot into one parcel. White requested a waiver to allow the consolidation to proceed as a minor subdivision, and avoided additional costs and fees. Councilman Micah Gursky noted that this exception was approved, but would not necessarily be approved in all future cases;• Approved a certificate of appropriateness for a sign installation at Dawn's Vinyl Design at 128 E. Broad St.• Agreed to approve a certificate of appropriateness for the removal of a wall by St. Jerome's Church, pending the receipt of a plan from the church regarding what will be done in the area after the wall is removed. It was also requested that stones not damaged in the demolition of the wall be preserved for future use;• Agreed to advertise for part-time police officers, with all necessary certifications;• Approved handicap parking spaces at 410 Pine St. and 725 E. Broad St.Held two executive sessions, one before the meeting for personnel and legal matters and one following the regular meeting for real estate and legal matters.