Spring is construction season and borough of Tamaqua officials are hoping several improvement projects that have been in the works are ready to proceed.

Borough Manager Kevin Steigerwalt advised council this week that the sidewalk improvement project in front of the Family Dollar store on Center Street has been submitted for a zoning and building permit."We did want it to match the rest of the Streetscape, but because of the width, there is just not a lot of room for items like trees and bricks," Steigerwalt said.The project will include a section of sidewalk that is 5 feet wide and 100 feet long.Council discussed whether or not the project should be made to comply with the other Streetscape projects in order to continue the unified look through the town, but Steigerwalt said that because of the area available and because of underground utilities in the area, making a wider sidewalk was most likely not feasible. He also pointed out other sections of the Streetscape, like along Hunter Street, where narrow sidewalks limited the beautification efforts.Steigerwalt also reported that the Streetscape project slated for the area between Spruce Street and the Center Street Bridge is also proceeding, and may have similar issues with available sidewalk for trees and bricks, but they will be included where possible. The project does not include lighting, except for along the bridge itself.Council approved handicap parking spaces for 129 W. Spruce St., 407 E. Union St., and 18 S. Lehigh St. They added 341 E. Union Street to a waiting list, as there are already the maximum number of spaces designated in that block.Director of Community Development Mary Linkevich provided updates on the proposed bathhouse renovations at the Bungalow park. The project is ready to get engineering bids submitted. The project, which was originally set to demolish and replace the women's bath house, has been modified to instead, renovate all of the existing bathhouses.Linkevich said the borough has had one loan payoff in its low-interest loan program, and that the borough is considering pursuing legal action against what she called the "worst offenders.""It doesn't make sense to try to foreclose on a property that we don't want," she said, "We will try to seize other property we can sell and recoup our losses."Council approved a request from David Funk to hold a "Pub Run for Cancer." Funk was on hand to answer any questions, and said the event, which is slated for August, is still in its early planning stages, but he needed Council's approval before he could continue.The event is an over-21 event and will feature stops at several taverns and bars in Tamaqua, followed by a DJ and live music event. It will benefit the American Cancer Society. An executive session was held for personnel matters.