Palmerton Police Department is undergoing safety improvements.

Councilman Cory Kepner said at Thursday’s borough council meeting that measurements were taken earlier in the day for a new holding cell area, and that lighting upgrades were being looked into as well.

“(There’s) a lot of back-and-forth,” Kepner said. (Things are) moving along very quickly.”

The borough has contemplated the location of its police department, which is located inside the Municipal Services Building at 401 Delaware Ave.

After the meeting, borough Manager Donna McGarry said, “That was discussed at one point, but we are currently focusing on some changes to make the existing facility more functional for the police department, and making the building safer,” McGarry said.

McGarry said last month that most of the work centers around security and functionality improvements for the police.

That came after Kepner stated at February’s meeting there was discussion as to if the police department would stay at its present location or find another location.

McGarry said after that meeting discussion on the future of the police department was merely in its infancy stage.

However, McGarry said then the discussion was only at its beginning point.

It was announced at January’s council meeting the police department was in need of a major remodel, according to several new borough officials.

Mayor Don Herrmann said the building needs a lot of work, and wanted to see the cleanup addressed immediately.

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

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

He then described the building code violations that he saw and those that required immediate action.

After that meeting, McGarry said some of the things were already being repaired.

Cleanup work was started inside the police department shortly after January’s council meeting.