No Decision Yet on Macungie Borough Manager

Macungie Council met for two hours on Feb. 22 before retreating to an executive session to privately discuss personnel matters.

Council President Guy Ramsey opened the meeting by saying the final report regarding the annual evaluation for Borough Manager Chris Boehm was still in the draft stages, and that council members were continuing their work to consolidate the pieces each is contributing.

Boehm, who has been waiting in limbo wondering if she still has a job, had no statement since the evaluation, performed Feb. 15, remains incomplete. 

The document, which should be ready by the next meeting on March 7, will rate Boehm’s job performance as well as offer suggestions for improvement and “strategies for better borough government,” Ramsey said.

Council discussed with Boehm the necessity that she name a person to be “in charge” in her absence – a possible suggestion that they were thinking about replacing her – but the issue was continued until more research could be done on the question of the possible replacement’s union status.

The rest of the meeting dealt mainly with usual borough housekeeping matters including a possible change of insurance brokers and the Macungie streetscape plan.

The biggest issue for Main Street in Macungie – also Route 100 – is that cars and trucks tend to pick up speed as the sun goes down, said Chris Becker, who lives on Main Street.

Proposed fixes to quiet the traffic there include constructing islands down the middle of the street, constructing sidewalk bump-outs at intersections similar to ones found in downtown Bethlehem and putting a traffic light at the intersection of Church and Main streets. They could be made of cobblestone and include plantings that would also beautify the area.

Council Vice President Joe Sikorski said the raised islands that might contain trees and street lights would be dangerous for emergency vehicles and suggested in their place the borough might put concrete median strips that have slight ramps or rumble strips that emergency vehicles could drive over if need be.

Council member Dorothy Kociuba said she will not run for re-election in this year’s primary. She said when she was elected she never intended to serve more than one term.

“At the time my hope was that by getting some new blood it would encourage other residents to come forward and serve,” she said, and she takes it as a good sign that many more people are coming to meetings.

Kociuba, Ramsey and Robert Bogert were write in candidates who on a ticket together four years ago.

Ramsey said he would run. Other candidates may include Bogert and zoning board members Chris Becker and Greg Hutchinson.