Lansford Borough Council moved forward on a new borough garage last week, hiring a firm for site development.

Council awarded a contract for $124,994.50 to Dutchman Contracting of Reinholds on the recommendation of the borough engineer, ARRO Engineering.

Earlier this year, council rejected a lone bid of $336,377 for the work from CMS Construction of Sinking Spring, and re-advertised the bids.

“We’re saving $250,000 by readvertising, and the work done by the borough crew and the water authority,” Council President Bruce Markovich said. “It saved us a quarter of a million dollars.”

The borough has a grant of $142,000 for the site work, and will have about $16,000 left, he said.

Council also applied for a gaming grant for the new borough garage. The borough will seek a statewide Local Share Account grant in the amount of $992,775.

Resident Mary Soberick asked if there was a match involved in the grant for the borough garage, and Markovich said there is none.

Council also filed a statewide LSA grant on behalf of Grace Community Church in the amount of $62,093 for its community center in the former English Congregational Church on West Ridge Street.

The borough previously applied for $263,156 for the church and Second Harvest Food Bank for work at the building. That grant was for work to the former church’s tower and the latest grant is for handicapped accessibility.

Other business

In other business, the council:

• Adopted the revised residential rental ordinance.

• Adopted the revised handicapped parking ordinance, which was changed to accommodate paraplegics.

• Accepted the resignation of Shantel Lauer, assistant secretary, and advertised for a new secretary to fill the vacancy.

• Tabled the hiring of Lehigh Engineering or ARRO Engineering as the borough’s rental inspector and code enforcement officer, for further discussion at a committee meeting.

• Approved purchasing a transformer for the new lights at the oversized parking area along Dock Street at a cost of $715.

• Tabled reinstating the lease for Construction Clearance’s rental properties. Council will consider reinstating the lease if arrearages on the rents are paid by Dec. 10.

• Approved a quote from Radocha for cleaning out along the yellow building on the former Silberline property at a cost of $5,000. Councilman Bill Chuma said if the borough doesn’t do the work, they will lose the building due to water infiltration and rust.

• Increased the pay rate of part-time seasonal public works worker, Dennis Anderson, from $16 an hour to $19 an hour.

• Re-advertised for a full-time public works employee. The borough was not successful in hiring a qualified applicant previously.

• Recognize Bruce and Megan Andersen, former owners of Porvaznik’s Flowers and recipients of Lansford Alive’s Black Diamond Award, which will be presented at a dinner Dec. 15 at American Legion Post in Lansford. The Andersens, who operated the borough’s longest running business, are retiring.