Politics & Government

Macungie Council May Revive Streetscape Plan

Council members agree the Streetscape Plan could be what might set the borough apart for the next 50 years.

The five Macungie Council members present at Monday's meeting unanimously agreed to take a second look at a plan that was put together in 2009 to beautify Main Street while calming traffic and making the streets safer for people to walk.

Jean Nagle, council president, and Gregory Hutchison, council vice president, were absent.

Ron Beitler, owner of Bar None Weddings, petitioned for council to take another look at the plan that has been researched, engineered and is ready for implementation with available grant money.

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The plan includes median strips at selected spots in the center of Main Street, bump-outs to reduce the distance across the street, street trees and new sidewalks, curbs and crosswalks.

The purpose of the improvements is to foster "a more vibrant, pedestrian-friendly downtown," according to written information provided by Beitler.

Find out what's happening in Lower Macungiewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Additionally, now is the perfect time to consider traffic-calming measures, said Council Member Christopher Becker.

Currently 15,000 cars travel Macungie's Main Street daily, but when that number hits 17,000, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation will consider it a "heavy traffic area" and the borough will not be able to implement any traffic-calming plan, he said.

"In the future there will be no choice," Becker said.

Council members Joseph Sikorski, Debra Cope and David Boyko said they would like to know more, but had concerns about trains, emergency vehicles and trucks.

Becker said discussion that include council members, business owners and residents can begin once the 2013 budget is settled, probably early next year.

"What will set this borough apart for the next 50 years is the action we take now," Becker said.


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