After months of delay, proposed renovations of the Pennsburg Civic Building and related public improvements could commence next year. On Tuesday, council President Diane Stevens announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture officially approved a $1.351 million low-interest loan, with a 2.25 percent interest rate, to the borough.

            According to Stevens, council received permission to bid the project. She wrote in a series of text messages after the public meeting that borough administrators are attempting to set up a meeting this week with officials from the federal agency to finalize a schedule.

            The municipality could advertise the project for bid within the next month or two. Those bids could be awarded in January or February, said Stevens.

            Municipal officials will use the money to remove asbestos from the building, located at 76 West 6th St. John Rundy, the borough's engineer, estimated in January that the abatement would cost approximately $100,000.

            The plan also calls for the relocation of the borough's public works department to the former recycling center and the demolition of 90 percent of the current maintenance garage. Additionally, that area will be replaced by a new salt bin.

            The municipality's current salt bin area will be converted into a break room, bathroom, storage, and office space for the public works department. An adjacent storage area will be refurbished. The work will include the installation of new garage doors and insulation.

            During the public meeting, council conducted a line-by-line examination of the 2024 budget. It will include a previously approved tax increase for fire protection and ambulance service.

            In September, the members voted unanimously to direct the solicitor to craft an ordinance creating a dedicated one-mill tax that is expected to generate approximately $160,000. Three-quarters of the money generated, estimated at $120,000, would be allocated to the fire company. The remaining $40,000 would go to the ambulance organization.

            Next year's budget will not include any additional tax increases, according to the council president.

            Member Wayne Stevens said the municipality budgeted $400,000 for road improvements, including Penn Street from 6th Street to the border with East Greenville, with an estimated cost of $150,000; Long Alley from 10th to 8th streets at a projected cost of $85,000; and curbing, milling and paving on a portion of Macoby Street for $160,000. The member also identified the civic building's parking lot and a portion of Cherry Street as possibilities for improvement.

            In other news, council voted to restart the process of collecting resumes for aspiring part-time officers for the Upper Perk Police Department. They voted to authorize advertising for potential candidates.

            "We're not hiring anyone," Chief Joe Adam said during the meeting. "We're just looking for interested candidates."

            According to Adam, the department used to have a stockpile of candidates. He said it stopped collecting resumes several years ago when the members decided to only hire full-time officers.

            Council also decided to reconsider its ordinance preventing parking along both sides of 4th Street between Railroad and Seminary streets. The members directed the engineer to study the possibility of parking on one side of the street after a resident, Jarred Tripp, told them the ordinance created worse parking conditions on surrounding streets.