Lansford Borough Council took limited action on several items listed on the agenda for Wednesday night’s council meeting.

Council discussed items related to the streets department, including lowering speed limits, opening bids for milling streets, advertising for materials and buying a new truck.

Councilman Joseph Butrie requested traffic studies to lower speed limits from 25 mph to 15 mph on borough streets, except Patterson Street, which is a state highway, Route 209.

Butrie said he spoke to someone at the state boroughs association who told him that the state Department of Transportation Department, PennDOT, would have to do a study to lower the speed on Route 209, and they’d also need a study for borough streets.

Council President Bruce Markovich said he didn’t think they needed a study for borough streets.

Solicitor Bob Yurchak said that the borough would need a traffic study for the state highway, but he would like to look into whether one was required for borough streets.

Last week, a resident asked if the borough could post “Slow Children at Play,” signs to alert drivers to children who outside playing now in the summer. Butrie told her the signs were discriminatory.

Butrie, who heads streets and public works, said he wanted the lower speed limits based on the woman’s request.

Markovich and Councilman Jack Soberick pointed out that the speed limit signs would have to be posted at set intervals, and Ridge Street was posted correctly.

Milling streets

Another item was opening bids for milling streets, which was requested by Butrie, who said they were supposed to have bids for milling the West Abbott Street extension and Dock Street.

Butrie said that he spoke to the engineer and a PennDOT representative regarding the bids, which should have been sent to the office. Councilwoman Jennifer Staines said this should have been done earlier in the year, and Butrie said he tried starting this process in March, but got “pushed off.”

Yurchak advised council to check with the borough engineer, because he has to put the bid specifications together and council has to approve it before it can be advertised.

“Council has got to approve all this, and I don’t think council has approved much of anything at this point,” the solicitor said.

Butrie said they talked to the engineer about Ridge, Abbott and Dock streets, which would have been too expensive to do all of them, and then went with just Abbott and Dock streets.

“They were supposed to put together a bid package and submit it to us, and we’re supposed to advertise it,” he said.

Markovich said he would check with Bill McMullen at ARRO Engineering.

Council members then questioned another agenda item to advertise for materials for repairing roads and sewers, which was requested by Butrie, who explained they needed to restock supplies.

Markovich said that they need to have a list of the requested materials and the amounts needed to be able to put this out for bid.

Council also discussed buying a new 550 dump truck to replace the 2008 truck, but didn’t move forward on the purchase.

Butrie wanted to buy the new truck using state Liquid Fuels funds, but Soberick was against it and Markovich said it wasn’t possible with the approximate $14,000 a year left in state funds for equipment, unless a new truck cost $45,000.

Soberick suggested pooling the insurance money from the equipment lost in the borough garage fire, and other items the borough is selling for a priority-based equipment purchase, which could be the new truck.

Markovich believes they may have enough to buy a new truck and a skid steer with a milling head and brush. The borough first needs an updated price on a truck, he said.

Council voted to get an updated price on the truck and move forward with the purchase for the next meeting.

Zipper

Council did approve selling the zipper, which council had purchased two years ago from the Carbon County Council of Governments. Council discussed accepting sealed bids and using Municibid.

Markovich said that they may have to reimburse the state Liquid Fuels account following the sale of the zipper, but would need to check on that.

Council approved a handicapped parking request for a resident at 229 E. Abbott St. Council members noted that they need to get signs up for those approved and paid requests.

Councilwoman Staines asked if they had signs ready to go, and Butrie said he needs to check on whether they have enough signs to fulfill the requests.