Residents can have a say in whether they would like to have street lighting at the site of the former Palmerton Hospital.

Borough Manager Donna McGarry discussed with borough council on Thursday the lighting in the 100 block of Lafayette Avenue.

“They have since turned off all the power,” McGarry said. “That block of Lafayette Avenue has no streetlights.”

McGarry said the borough is seeking input from residents as to whether they want to have lights on and on what side.

“We want to do what’s right by the residents,” she said.

McGarry noted that in the past, lighting from the former Palmerton Hospital and its adjacent parking lot provided illumination for the 100 block of Lafayette Avenue.

She said that lighting has been disconnected in preparation for the building demolition, leaving the 100 block of Lafayette Avenue dark.

McGarry said the borough has contacted PPL to request installation of street lights.

“The number of lights and location (either on the north side or the south side) has yet to be determined,” she said. “If the residents in that block have a preference on location of the new lights, they can contact the borough office, and we will take their recommendations into consideration.

Demolition of the former hospital has been pushed back.

Earlier this month, John Nespoli, president of St. Luke’s Carbon and Lehighton campuses, said demolition is slated for late February/early March.

Nespoli said from this point on, the process is estimated to take about three to four months.

Immediate neighbors will be notified when a date is determined.

St. Luke’s closed the Lafayette Avenue campus after it acquired Blue Mountain Health System and began its construction of the new St. Luke’s Carbon Campus in Franklin Township.