Lehighton Borough Council is considering a two-hour parking limit in the business district on First Street.

Borough Manager Dane DeWire said at last week’s council meeting that he would put it on one side.

DeWire said the Lehighton Area Merchants Association brought the matter to his attention at its meeting last month.

Borough police Chief Troy Abelovsky said he wasn’t opposed to the idea, but was curious how they could enforce it.

Councilman John Kreitz said the concept wasn’t possible.

“We just don’t have the police force to do it,” said Kreitz, who pointed out the borough previously got rid of the parking meters. “I’m not for it.”

Robbie Furman, owner of Robbie’s Balloons and More on South First Street, said he agrees the question is how to enforce it.

“The people who are parking are the tenants, but we do have tenants who park there for a week,” Furman said. “Every once in a while, it would be great.”

Councilwoman Autumn Abelovsky said she doesn’t like doing something if the borough can’t enforce it.

Mayor Ryan Saunders agreed it was a difficult decision to have to make.

DeWire then suggested that the borough try it for six months on the far side of First Street, and if the borough gets a lot of complaints it could stop.

Saunders said the borough will get complaints regardless of whether they do or don’t.

Autumn Abelovsky said she doesn’t believe it should be on a trial basis.

“If we’re going to do it, it’s a permanent thing,” she said.

After the meeting, DeWire said the borough doesn’t have any parking limit on First Street.

Business view

He said it’s the same as the rest of the borough: 72 hours maximum; must be registered, inspected, and insured; no unattached trailers; and there are restrictions on axles.

Tina Henninger, secretary for the Lehighton Area Merchants Association, said the association would like to see it “start out as a pilot program on First Street to see if it would actually help things.”

“One of the ordinances the borough passed is a landlord cannot rent an apartment if they cannot provide off-street parking for said apartments,” Henninger said. “Knowing that, it makes no sense that the tenants should be taking on-street parking in the business district that is meant for customers when they have off-street parking to use.”

Henninger noted that since Jim Thorpe rerouted their traffic several years ago, that the businesses on First Street have suffered.

“We’re trying to do anything we can to make it easier for customers to reach us,” she said. “We’re asking for them to start off with a trial on South First Street.”

Complaints about parking on First Street have lingered for years.

In 2019, Jennifer Solt-Cerato, owner of Jenny’s Sweets & More when it was located at 114 S. First St., told council at that time she had put a survey together and spoken with people to get their take on the parking situation.

Among their complaints, she said at that time, were bus pickup and drop-off in front of the business twice a week; other folks parking and holding First Street hostage; random parking; being asked to park elsewhere; and specialty versus necessity.

Solt-Cerato said at that time that she “strongly requested” that bus companies find a different place to park, and requested eye-catching parking signs to be placed on First Street, with time limits on parking spaces within one- or two-hour parking.

She suggested ways that North First Street and South First Street along the lower park could return to annual parking instead of parallel parking.

Meters vs. kiosks

Instead of parking meters, she strongly suggested time limits.

Then borough Manager Nicole Beckett provided cost data for updating the parking meters, and told council she had received proposals from CivicSmart, Butts Tickets and IPS.

For coin-credit card meters, Beckett said prices ranged from $275 per meter to $450 per meter, while kiosks ranged from $6,050 to $8,700.

Beckett said at that time they estimated 75 meters based on the existing meters in the downtown.

The borough’s meters were 30 minutes for each quarter from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday excluding holidays.

A committee was formed to discuss the parking meters, cost and options available.

In 2011, the borough purchased 25 meter mechanisms, and they were about $160 at that time.

Beckett said the parking meters had previously been removed from sections of North First Street before her time.

She said the borough had removed meters around the lower park during the construction project to allow for free parking, and because of costs associated with replacing the existing meters.