Lehighton continues to work toward improvements at its administrative office.

Borough Manager Dane DeWire updated borough council on Monday of the status of the RVE administrative building construction drawings.

DeWire said the borough has a Community Development Block Grant application in with Carbon County for ADA countertops.

He noted those plans are being molded in with the proposed elevator.

Under the anticipated drawings, DeWire said the South Street access to the borough building would be abandoned so people can only enter from the front and north end of the building.

“The idea would be for the general public only having access to two ballistic glass windows, one for the secretary, and the other for the utility billing clerks,” DeWire said. “The remainder of the building would not be accessible to the public. Key access would be required to enter employee offices.

Last month, borough council agreed to spend an amount not to exceed $13,170 to complete an architectural plan for the downstairs office.

The cost would be $11,670 for architectural, structural and other work, and an additional $1,500 to ensure that the entire footprint of the ground floor, including emergency exits and sidewalks, are shown in the drawings so that the drawings are usable for multiple projects down the road.

Before the vote, DeWire explained that the borough has its 2024 surplus of Community Development Block Grant funds to be used to apply for ADA billing counters to make the billing office ADA compliant.

He noted the borough isn’t permitted to use CDBG funds for design work, including the 2025, 2026 and 2027 CDBG funds, which will require design work for a proposed elevator shaft and assembly.

DeWire said the borough is also using 2025, 2026 and 2027 funding to hopefully apply for an elevator to make the entire building ADA compliant.

In April 2025, DeWire told council that the borough was running out of Americans with Disabilities Act projects.

He then suggested stacking the borough’s 2025, 2026 and 2027 CDBG funds for a possible elevator to make the building 100% ADA compliant.

DeWire said at that time he received an estimate for the installation of an elevator in the amount of $108,800.

He said then the project will also require the installation of a concrete block elevator shaft.

DeWire said the elevator would likely be installed somewhere between the stairs and the fountain on the first floor.

He previously said that the administration building has ADA crosswalks, ramps and doors at both the North and South Street entrances.

The consensus of council then was that the installation of an elevator would be a good use for the CDBG funds.

Councilman Grant Hunsicker previously said he believes the municipal building was constructed sometime during the 1930s.