Work to be done on Mauch Chunk Road

A portion of Mauch Chunk Road in Palmerton is slated to receive some long-awaited improvements.

Jennifer Hunsicker, of the Carbon County Planning and Development Office, announced at Thursday’s council meeting that the $83,000 project on Lehigh Avenue (funded through the 2018 Community Block Development Grant) had been canceled. Instead, funding will go toward Mauch Chunk Road.

The announcement comes after months of sporadic complaints from residents, who say large trucks taking the road have damaged it.

After the announcement was made, Councilman Randolph Gursky simply said “thank you.”

“It’s just that terrible out there that someone’s going to get hurt,” he said.

Lehigh Avenue is no longer eligible for Community Block Development Grant funds, which Hunsicker said “primarily benefit low- to moderate-income people.”

Borough Manager Donna McGarry said in April that the borough lost a “significant area,” of eligible properties — including Lehigh Avenue — as income levels in that area were deemed too high.

McGarry said she doesn’t expect any work to be completed this year.

In other business

• Council approved the hiring of three summer employees. Kole Rodrigues was hired at a rate of $7.92 an hour. Tom Johnston Jr. and Alexander Warnken were both hired at $7.25 an hour.

• Council accepted the resignation of Robert Hontz, part-time police officer. Hontz resigned because of another employment opportunity.

• Council broke into executive session to discuss land matters.

• Council approved putting up two signs denoting the presence of a deaf child on the 800 block of Lafayette Avenue.