Fluoride will not be added to the borough water supply, the borough council decided Wednesday.

The council had voted Feb. 5, 2014, to add fluoride to the water but council member Roger Spotts made the motion Wednesday to rescind the vote with council member Jerry Bowman seconding. A roll call vote was then taken.

“I appreciate the work that everybody did on both sides of the coin,” council member Kurt Montz said on the issue.

Voting to rescind the motion to add fluoride were council members Montz, Bowman, Spotts and Tom Gordon. Council President Marlin Berger Jr. and members Ruth Tucci and Paul Bedway voted no.

The borough had fluoride in the water system until 2011, after a motion to keep fluoride failed on Feb. 3, 2010.

Montz, who had previously voted for the addition of fluoride, said Wednesday that he changed his vote to better reflect the will of the borough residents.

Tucci said she, and other residents she has spoken to, want fluoride in the water supply. Berger said that the “kids are going to suffer” for not having fluoride in the water.

Cressona resident Karla Felty, who was also against adding fluoride, said the people coming out made a difference and “changed minds.”

Cressona borough also gets water from Schuylkill Haven.

“I’m so grateful, and I thank them,” Schuylkill Haven resident Alonna McKeone, who has said she has had negative reactions to fluoride, said of the council.

Mayor Mike Devlin, who was not in favor of adding the fluoride, said, “I think it will put a lot of minds at ease.”

In other news, Mayor Mike Devlin announced an ice skating party might be held this year.

“We’ll see as the weather permits. Keep your fingers crossed,” Devlin said.

Borough workers would need an ice thickness measure of 6 inches to deem the Bubeck Park lake safe for ice skating.

The possibility of a dog park was again discussed at the council meeting. Tucci said the property committee will look at locations for a possible dog park. A date of the next property committee was not stated.

“There’s a lot of issues that have to be ironed out. It’s not just going to happen next week, so don’t hold your breath,” Tucci said.

Also, the council gave permission for Justin Weller, a Boy Scout, to build a 30-foot by 6-foot bridge in Bubeck Park as part of his Eagle Scout project.

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