A request by the head of Lehighton for the police department to take back a police bay turned into a heated debate at Monday’s borough council meeting.

Borough Mayor Clark Ritter asked borough council to consider giving the police department the police bay that the Lehighton Fire Department regained a portion of last year to store fire apparatus.

Ritter said the police department could utilize that portion of the bay to store vehicles, large evidence, and for the overall safety of the police officers.

Currently, the fire department utilizes the front half of the bay to store its boat, though which apparatus goes there depends on the seasons, according to fire Chief Pat Mriss.

Mriss said he understands that the police department needs space. Currently, the police department has the back half of the bay.

“Not once did the mayor ask us,” Mriss said. “That shows he doesn’t care about the fire department.”

Mriss added that as a result of Ritter’s request, some of the fire department’s volunteers have already questioned their volunteerism.

Councilman Ryan Saunders noted this matter has come up repeatedly among both departments.

Councilwoman Autumn Abelovsky said the constant back-and-forth doesn’t look good for the borough.

Abelovsky added that Ritter was merely doing his job, which is to advocate for the police department.

“I do not believe the police station we currently (house) was ever sufficient for our needs,” Abelovsky said. “The fire department has a beautiful station that is sufficient for their needs, and we need to do the same for our police department.”

Mriss said he agrees that the police station does need to have appropriate space, just not at the cost of the fire department.

Abelovsky said a resolution of some sort has to be a goal that’s on council’s radar, adding that they’ve been talking about this same issue for many years.

Borough Manager Steve Travers suggested that council name an committee to look at the cost for a potential new police station, its location, and the options for the building of it.

“It’s not something that’s going to get resolved in a year,” Travers said.

Ritter said he had the answer.

“I have a solution,” Ritter said. “Build a new police station.”

Last April, council voted 4-3 to allow the fire department to have the front half of the bay, and the police department the back half of the bay.

At a special meeting Nov. 10, 2016, council agreed to have the police department take over the old Engine Company No. 2 bay, with work and the move to be done gradually.

Former borough Manager Nicole Beckett said $15,000 was allocated in the 2017 budget for the work.

The police station took the bay and the upstairs of the old Engine Company No. 2 building, while the fire department still had access to the hose and engine rooms.

In May 2016, about 30 members of the fire department attended the council meeting with concerns that the police department wanted to use the entire bay.

Former police Chief Brian Biechy said the police department used half the bay, which it shared with the fire department. The bay was used for parking.

Assistant fire Chief Michael Mriss said then the area was used to store apparatus, hose, wash and dry hose, complete equipment and apparatus maintenance and repair, store the inventory of Personal Protective Equipment among other things.

The police department moved into the former Lehighton Fire Company building at 124 S. Third St. in 2011.

The building bears the name of former Lehighton Borough Mayor William “Cap” Bauchspies.