A Palmerton Borough official says current parking trends at a pair of elementary schools in the downtown are a huge concern.

Councilwoman Holly Sell on Thursday cited instances of double-parking, and failure to use crosswalks, as causes for concern at both S.S. Palmer Elementary and the Parkside Education Center."It's become a huge safety issue at both schools," said Sell, a Title I Reading Specialist at Parkside. "I'd like to see increased police presence."She added, "I just don't want to see anybody get hurt or killed."There's been a couple of near misses," she said. "I'm afraid someone's going to get hurt."Mayor Chris Olivia said he would notify the borough police chief of Sell's concerns.In another safety matter, council President Terry Costenbader said there have been a lot of people walking and jogging along borough streets."It's starting to become an issue, and somebody's going to get hit," Costenbader said."We spent a lot of time and money fixing sidewalks, and they're running in the street."Costenbader added that he doesn't want to see anyone get injured.Firefighters laudedAlso on Thursday, Olivia complimented borough firefighters for their work in helping to fight the brush fire on the Blue Mountain over the weekend."They all did a great job," Olivia said.Other businessIn other business, council:• Announced there are vacancies on the borough's zoning hearing board (alternate), planning commission, and shade tree commission.• Agreed, on a 5-0 vote, to hire Kyle Behler, Thatcher George, and Tyler Svetik as summer helpers. Behler will be paid $8 an hour, while George and Svetik will make $7.50 an hour. Councilmen Jason Behler and Jeremy Barbosa abstained due to family reasons.• Appointed Tim Milford as a volunteer firefighter to serve with the Palmerton Municipal Fire Department.