It is officially October and that means as the leaves turn from green to a patchwork of yellows, oranges and reds, visitors from all around will be flocking to Jim Thorpe.

As in year’s past, as the town’s popularity for leaf peeping grew, so has the problem of parking.

Last week, the Carbon County Commissioners voted to enter into an agreement for a temporary property access license with the Jim Thorpe Community Athletic Association for parking vehicles on the field during the weekends in October.

Commissioners’ Chairman Mike Sofranko said the agreement is to make sure all liabilities are covered.

He noted that the county has been working with Jim Thorpe for several months to try to create a plan to help alleviate some of the pressures of parking — or lack thereof — in the borough for the upcoming festival weekends. Last year, the town was overrun by vehicles and tourists, creating what was labeled “trafficgeddon,” on one of the October Saturdays, forcing police to shut down the town and tell motorists to keep driving.

“(The Jim Thorpe Police Department) seem to be as well prepared as they can,” he said. “They have added additional parking, additional shuttles, there is additional security coming out so they are as well prepared as they can be but everything hinges on the weather.”

This year, an ambulance will be stationed in downtown Jim Thorpe since traffic could cause response delays.

Commissioner Wayne Nothstein added that there will be a command post set up for first responders and law enforcement to try and help visitors safely navigate through Jim Thorpe; and police will be patrolling on bicycles.

Traffic patterns will be altered slightly to allow for a better flow of traffic.

“It’s been a long planning process,” he said.

In addition to the main county parking lot in downtown Jim Thorpe, which fills up usually by 10 a.m. on October weekends, there have been several additional parking areas established for the upcoming festival to attempt to alleviate some of the stress of finding parking.

Reserved parking and shuttle service is available at Mauch Chunk Lake Park; as well as:

• Immaculate Conception Church at 163 West Broadway in Jim Thorpe.

• Pocono Whitewater at 1519 State Route 903. The company will then provide shuttle parking into Jim Thorpe and drop off on the east side of Jim Thorpe. Visitors can then walk across the Sgt. AJ Baddick Bridge into the historic district.

• Sam Miller Field at 122 North Ave., Jim Thorpe. Shuttle service is provided from the heights section of the borough down to next to the Opera House.

The Fall Foliage Festival in Jim Thorpe has become a popular destination for people from New York, New Jersey and the surrounding areas. This year’s festival is held Oct. 5-6, 12-13 and 19-20.

For more information on these parking locations, visit https://www.poconomountains.com/jim-thorpe/parking.

All of the parking options, Jim Thorpe Police Chief Joe Schatz said last month, help police with traffic flow downtown.

“We want to keep vehicles moving through that area as best we can,” he said.