Tamaqua Borough Council continues to add to the equipment fund balance through successful sales on the Municibid website.

Borough manager Kevin Steigerwalt announced that 19 lots had successfully been put up for bid, and the borough earned $12,639 on the sale of used equipment.Council voted to approve all high bids and will continue to post items on the site, including offering kitchen equipment, including a sink, a refrigerator and a Coca-Cola cooler that had come from the old concession stand building at the Bungalow Park. The building was recently demolished.Joan Dietrich, a representative from the senior citizens group of Tamaqua, asked council why the seniors do not have a designated meeting place as a senior center.“Since the Mohn Building was sold, the seniors do not have a place to call home,” she said. Dietrich cited other communities in the county that have senior centers.“We have at least 70 members who attend our meetings. That’s the largest group in Schuylkill County,” she said.Dietrich said members are currently meeting at the Tamaqua YMCA; however, they must share the facility with other groups, and are required to set up and break down the tables and chairs for every meeting.“These are 70-, 80-, 90-year-old people,” she said. “This situation is not ideal.”Council President David Mace said there were currently no plans to create a designated senior center; however, being made aware of the problem, he and Community Development Director Mary Linkevich will look into what assistance may be available from the county and how it can help the senior group.Council also heard from Joanne Love, who had many questions about the rising rates of services in the borough.“I put half a bag of trash out a week, and I’m paying for six,” she said. Love also explained the lengths she goes to conserve water. “I do my wash once a week, run the dishwasher every four days, I shower every other day,” she said. “Whitehall Township gives a discount to senior citizens. I don’t understand how you’re supposed to keep a house,” she said. “I have one income, and it’s very fixed. Every time I turn around, you or the school district are putting more on the homeowners.”Mace said while he understands Love’s frustration, there is little the borough can do in the face of rising costs and necessary repairs. He added that before the recent increase in sewer rates, the borough had not raised the sewer rate in over 10 years. He added that even with the increase, Tamaqua’s current rate is still among the lowest in neighboring communities.Herb Curvey, a member of the Tamaqua Fire Police, requested the borough consider giving the fire police the lot at the corner of Cottage Avenue and Lehigh Street for the construction of a garage. Curvey said the current garage is full of water and mold, and the fire police would be able to fund the construction of a building to meet their needs.