Nesquehoning Borough Council has some major concerns about a program they heard is being operated following a death at an apartment building in the town on Wednesday.

During council’s meeting on Wednesday night, many of the members questioned what was going on at the apartment building across the street from the borough hall and Meed’s Memorial United Methodist Church on West Catawissa Street. Earlier that day, a 55-year-old man was found dead in one of the apartments and state police are investigating.

Councilwoman Mary Fox said she spoke with someone who rents there and was told that there is a program that rents units in the building for people who are released from jail or mental health units.

“I don’t know what organization it is,” she said. “I know people coming out of mental health units and prison need help, but we shouldn’t have to wait until someone commits suicide or is murdered to find out about it.”

Fox questioned how this could be happening without the borough being notified.

Councilman George Sabol said that maybe programs like this should be required to go through council before it could operate.

“Today was the first I heard about this,” said Councilman Frank Jacobs, who then said the borough solicitor, Robert Yurchak, who was not present at the meeting, should look into the matter and see what could be done.

Fox said that the matter, if true, is a safety issue, especially for the church, which holds a number of activities for families and children throughout the year, including Vacation Bible School and its summer lunch program that will be starting next week.

Council President David Hawk said he will contact Yurchak to review the matter to see if it is true and to see if there is anything that council can require for programs like this.

According to Carbon County property records, the apartment building in question was purchased by Valley Residences Inc. of Danville in October 2016, but contact information for the owner was unable to be obtained as of press time.