ORWIGSBURG - A consultant from the Orwigsburg Business and Professional Association reviewed goals for a better business district with the borough council.
Those goals include creating an "inviting, walkable and interesting village business district" and continuing the small businesses in the borough and attracting news ones, Sam Loth, a consultant for the association, said Wednesday.
"The OBPA wants to find exciting and creative ways to repurpose and reuse commercial properties that are available and not benefitting the community at this time," Loth said.
In addition to that, the association wants to form a committee of borough residents called the Orwigsburg Community Revitalization Committee. The volunteer group will work with the OBPA and will be tasked with promoting cohesion in the borough, marketing the unique attributes and improving public spaces and "will create a private public development partnership that will promote Orwigsburg as a live, work, play community," Loth said.
The association will continue to sponsor the annual Heritage Day celebration and other activities in the borough. To help out in this, the association requested two members from the council be appointed as liaisons to the association and volunteer committee. Borough Manager Mike Lonergan said no decisions had been made but could be at the February council meeting.
In other news, fees for certain items are increasing in the borough.
Those requesting building permits, electrical permits and paying reinspection fees will pay $2 more. The minimum fee for both building permits and electrical permits increased $2 to $71 per job, Longergan said. Reinspection fees increased to $71 an hour. The fees are set by the consultant, Arro Consulting, Orwigsburg, Lonergan said.
The council accepted the resignation of part-time police officer Brandon Woll, who didn't work any shifts for a year. Woll has another job, Longergan said. He had been with the department of a little over a year, he said. There are no plans in place for his replacement. Police officer Brandon Bayer was removed from probation - something every officer must go through for their first year - and moved to regular police status.
The council adopted a resolution appointing Lonergan as delegate and council president Michele Rudloff as alternate to the Schuylkill County Tax Collection Committee, appointed Ed Mady to the board of directors of the Blue Mountain Recreation Commission, with a term expiring in Dec. 31, 2013, and appointed Paul Bedway to the borough planning and zoning commission, with a term ending Jan 1, 2014.
The next council of governments meeting is 7 p.m. Thursday in the council chambers.