Lehighton has formed a task force to address a long-standing parking issue on First Street.

Mayor Ryan Saunders suggested the measure at Monday’s borough council meeting to come up with a parking resolution for First Street.

The task force will include Saunders, borough police Chief Troy Abelovsky and Councilwoman Becky Worthy.

Earlier in the meeting, resident Nick Catania, who lives in the 100 block of South First Street, told borough council he wants to see the borough flourish.

“I want to see Lehighton thrive,” said Catania, who said he was surprised there was no decision made at last month’s meeting despite the lengthy discussion that ensued. “I don’t understand how that was the conclusion.”

Saunders said he will reach out to Worthy and Abelovsky to set up a meeting.

“We will write down a bunch of possibilities first, then interview some of the business owners, and come back to the table and compare our ideas as they relate to the observations we got from the business owners, and see if we can come up with a proposal to council that will work for as many people as we can.”

Last month, borough council said it was considering a two-hour parking limit in the business district on First Street.

Borough Manager Dane DeWire said at that time he would put it on one side and noted that the Lehighton Area Merchants Association brought the matter to his attention at its meeting in January.

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, as he doesn’t believe the borough has the police force to do it and noted that the borough previously got rid of parking meters.

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

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.

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

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.”

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

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.

Instead of parking meters, she 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.