SCHUYLKILL HAVEN - The borough council granted permission for a health fair from a coalition involving Schuylkill County's VISION in the gymnasium of the Neighborhood Center.
However, it was not approved without discussion on whether a fee should be charged.
Borough Secretary Kathy Killian read a letter from Kay Jones, executive director of VISION, requesting use of the gym from 2 to 5 p.m. Jan. 25 and a request from exemption for paying a fee.
Council President Marlin Berger Jr. said there are costs associated with the use of the building and that is something of which the council should be mindful.
Mayor Mike Devlin reminded the council that the health fair is a "gift" back to the residents of the borough.
"Honestly, I thought it was a no-brainer. I really did," Devlin said.
Jones appeared before the council last month requesting the borough be the pilot community for a way to make the county a healthier place to live. All details are not worked out, but could include a health fair and different events throughout the year.
Council member Jerry Bowman said he thought charging for the use of the space "would not be the right thing to do," since it benefits the people.
Ruth Tucci, a council member, suggested the idea of a charge be examined.
"We can't be giving everything away," she said.
After discussion, the council voted to approve the use of the space without a fee.
In other business, borough fire Chief Glenn Sattizahn submitted a retirement letter effective 11:59 p.m. Dec. 31 for medical reasons. The council approved the resignation and a replacement will be selected by the Schuylkill Haven Fire Department Fire Trustees.
"This is a sad, a really sad thing to do. It's a shame," Berger said.
When a new ordinance about the number of people on the Recreation Commission is finalized, there will be seven people instead of nine after the council voted to change the number. Members of the commission said attendance is sometimes an issue.
The council voted to end negotiations with the YMCA about possibly using the Neighborhood Center as a branch of the organization. Council member David Gerber said after the meeting that discussions were ongoing for two months.
Borough resident Troy Chamberlain was appointed to the municipal authority to fill a vacancy.
The council gave borough Manager Scott Graver approval to advertise for bids for a Ford Explorer.
Graver was also given permission to continue negotiations for a possible attachment to several poles in the borough by Sunesys, a fiber optics company. Any proposed agreement would come before the council for its approval.
Also, the Route 61 project is moving closer to reality, Graver said.
A contract was recently awarded to Kinsley Construction, York County, for the project to make two additional lanes through the borough in an attempt to ease congestion.
"They are anticipating a start date in early March," Graver said, adding the deadline for completion is December 2015.
Carl Berger, economic development director, and Richard Nagle, a borough resident and local historian, discussed new signs in the borough. The signs would be paid for from a $24,000 grant the borough received last year from the state Department of Conservation and National Resources through the Schuylkill River Greenway Association, a nonprofit.
Both Nagle and Berger are on the economic restructuring committee of the Our Haven Foundation.
The committee will select the location for the signs, which will be located mostly on the heritage trail from Bubeck Park to The Island. Most of the signs will be on borough property. Cost for the signs could be $10,000 to $15,000, Berger said.
Nagle gave the council a brief overview of what could be on the signs - a historical picture of what was formerly at the location of the sign, a written summary of the importance of the site, a map directing them to other locations with signs, the borough seal and the Our Haven Foundation seal.
"Everything is in the preliminary stages," Berger said.
The signs could be installed by next spring, he said.