Lansford Borough Council discussed a host of issues ahead of its regular meeting tonight during its committee meetings Tuesday.

Under public works, Council Vice President Jay Doyle reported that work on a manhole near the former St. Michael’s complex is waiting on a part, and the trees that needed to be cut are done.

The borough also got a price of $8,899 on a zero-turn mower from M&S Hardware in Tamaqua, and they service the machines there, he said. The borough already has an account with the store, Doyle said.

The borough will also look at buying push mowers from the store, as well, and this will come out of the public works budget, he said.

Doyle will also have a price on a street sweeper that the borough crew looked at in Langhorne, Bucks County, for tonight’s meeting.

Trash issue

Resident Bob Silver asked what happened to trash cans that were out in the business district, and Doyle explained that he had them removed, because people were putting their household trash in them.

Councilwoman Gwyneth Collevechio said that the borough had applied for a grant for the garbage cans that could be mounted to the ground for the parks, and more could be ordered for the business district.

The cans have smaller openings on four sides for trash, and the top comes off for removal of the bags, she said. Doyle said he may consider placing latches on the lids to prevent people from removing the top and placing larger items.

Bus stops

Under municipal administration, council discussed changing bus stops, but did not come to a clear consensus. Stops at the stadium, the St. Ann’s lot and near the dollar store were considered.

Council discussed putting them back on Patterson Street, but some council members were against putting stops back on the highway.

They wanted to know how many children would be at the stops, if the borough cut back on the number of bus stops. The school district needs to know by June on the stops.

Council President Bruce Markovich said the borough is looking at a memorandum of understanding with the Panther Valley School District regarding the sidewalks around the stadium.

Under the proposal, the borough plans to support and apply for a grant to have sidewalks installed from Cortright Street around to the bank, he said. The agreement will spell out cost regarding design and engineering.

“Hopefully, by next year, we’re going to apply for the grant and we’ll get the sidewalks back down there,” Markovich said.

Shared services

Council members recently met with neighboring communities regarding the decades-old shared services agreement, which allows the municipalities to pool resources and save money, he said.

One of the needs discussed was a mid-sized excavator, Markovich said. The borough borrows or rents now, and the equipment isn’t always available when needed, he said.

The borough is considering applying for a $100,000 gaming grant to purchase an excavator, he said. The item will appear on Wednesday’s agenda, Markovich said.

At least two residents didn’t think an excavator was needed, and other equipment would be more useful.

The borough will also be reaching out to the state Department of Environmental Protection regarding the terms of the Act 537 sewage plan after a meeting with the sewer authority, Markovich said.

The borough believed that it would no longer handle sewage lines, and the authority would take them over under the upgrade plan, but that is not what the authority said at the meeting, he said.

Pet waste

The borough is also looking at changes to animal and sanitation ordinances. Councilwoman Michele Bartek said that the borough has to do something about pet waste on streets, an issue which Doyle raised previously.

Bartek suggested not allowing people to walk pets along Ridge Street in the business district. Doyle pointed out that people living in the business district have pets, too, and need to walk them. Bartek suggested that people get rid of their animals then.

The current ordinance states that pets or animals are not to relieve themselves on anyone else’s property, Bartek pointed out.

Councilman Jack Soberick said the borough already has rules on the books regarding pet waste, and needs to enforce those rules.

“I’m not going to tell people to get rid of their animals,” he said.