Borough Council approves funding for additional security

The Perkasie Borough Council approved over $30,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding for additional security in the borough.

The money will fund a new security camera system at the recycling center and electric locks on park restrooms. The new locks are meant to spare police officers from manually locking the restrooms every night.

Passed back in March 2021, the American Rescue

Plan Act is a $1.9 trillion federal economic stimulus bill aimed at helping states, counties and municipalities recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Perkasie Borough directly received $863,908 in ARPA funds and currently has less than $300,000 remaining. The deadline to allocate the remaining funds is December 31, 2024.

Council additionally approved a $25,000 grant application for a historic district in downtown Perkasie. Council member Scott Bomboy noted that properties on the national register are eligible for a national historic preservation tax credit and must be repaired by FEMA in the event of a national disaster.

Another topic of discussion was maintenance of the walking/biking trail. Council member David Weaver mentioned that the borough is currently clearing some trees along the trail for safety purposes. Council then took the opportunity to address a plan to repave the trail. Borough manager Andrea Coaxum reported that last year’s trail system funds were reallocated to the construction of a tennis/pickleball court but anticipated that repaving funds would be available again next year. Council is also considering grant opportunities for the repaving project.

Additionally, Council approved a land development agreement for a new Mavis Tire at 545 Constitution Avenue and greenlit a planned Perkiomen Watershed Conservancy 5K run on March 12 from 10 to 11 a.m.

The next Perkasie Borough Council meeting is on March 6 at 7 p.m. For more information, visit perkasieborough.org.