Palmerton’s police department is in need of a major remodel, according to several new borough officials.

Mayor Don Herrmann told borough council last week, “The police department needs a lot of work. I want to see the (cleanup) addressed immediately.”

Herrmann suggested that council utilize a large amount of the borough’s COVID relief money to renovate the police station.

Councilman Cory Kepner said both he and Herrmann took a tour of the department in the former New Jersey Zinc Company building at 401 Delaware Ave.

“I have to say, I am not in any way, shape or form happy with the conditions witnessed,” Kepner said. “I will be scheduling an appointment to inspect other floors of this building at a later date.”

Kepner then described the building code violations that he saw and those that require immediate action.

• The basement has a rotted subfloor with tiles cracked and missing tiles, with black mold in the exposed pressure treated plywood. The floor flexes due to rot when walked on. A stained ceiling tile was removed to expose a leaking pipe. Kepner said he thinks it’s sewage, based on the size of the pipe.

• The lost and found room (the bike room) has a lot of clutter. There is evidence of water damage on the boxes, and mold on the uninstalled drywall sitting on the floor. Trash and other items are scattered all around the room, said Kepner, who added he could not enter the room to even be able to inspect it safely without climbing over items. Non-police items are stored in this room.

• The record room, next door to the “lost and found” is cluttered with garbage. Items are not labeled. A light fixture is hanging by a live wire on top of cardboard boxes containing records. This would be a fire hazard. The fire extinguisher in (the) hallway behind the wooden door does not have any labels and no handle to operate the doorway.

• The air conditioner and the heat doesn’t work in the basement, locker room, uniform room, and evidence room, while the locker room has a space heater running 24/7 that plugs into the wall, a fire hazard. The uniform room was not able to be inspected, said Kepner. He said it appears there were boxes on the heater in the corner and the drop ceiling was falling.

• The evidence room has trash and other items scattered around, exposed wiring, and pipes falling out of the roof. The subfloor was cut out previously and pipes are secured with electrical wiring.

• In the utility room/backroom by the elevator, a large amount of trash is scattered around. In the side room attached to utility room is wiring lying on top of a light fixture.

“I do not care who is to blame, or who is responsible for this unacceptable and frankly uninhabitable situation,” Kepner said. “I will not accept any excuses as to why this cannot be done.”

Kepner added, “We need to come up with an immediate fix for the health and safety issues, and we also need to expedite a plan of action toward remodeling this building.”

“This report is not to alienate or place blame on any individuals or groups, but it is to deal with a problem head-on,” he said. “I want this matter to stay on the agenda listed as police department building remediation discussion for the foreseeable future due to the nature of the issues (he spoke of).”

Kepner put a timeline on the project, and added he expects results in a timely fashion.

“I would like to see a plan no later than end of March of 2022,” he said. “As for the immediate health concerns, I expect and demand that no later than Friday, Feb. 4, that the mold and trash is removed from the building.”

After the meeting, borough Manager Donna McGarry said council was surprised by Kepner’s presentation.

“We were all kind of deer in headlights (concerning) the presentation,” McGarry said. “Certainly when you have 100-year-old buildings, there are things you can find in spots.”

McGarry said certain aspects Kepner mentioned in his presentation were to be tended to.

“Some of the things we were in the process of making plans for some of that cleanup,” she said. “Some of the things he (Kepner) had brought up were already in the workings of being taken care of.”