Changes to Jim Thorpe Borough’s sign regulations are likely on the way as part of the municipality’s overall zoning ordinance update in progress, and local residents are concerned about the possible outcome.

Though no concrete decisions have been made regarding stricter rules on the type and size of signs that could be used in Jim Thorpe, Todd Morris, who heads up the Jim Thorpe Independent Film Festival, doesn’t feel changes are necessary at this time.

“I have a 19-by-6-foot banner every year since 2017 hanging from the Mauch Chunk Opera House for that event,” Morris said. “I may no longer be able to hang the banner, which drives a lot of foot traffic to the Opera House for the event that I struggle to make ends meet for. There are so many restrictive ordinances being passed lately, I don’t understand the need for it.”

While several residents said they have seen a 26-page draft of the sign regulations, Borough Manager Maureen Sterner said there is no official public document available as of yet.

“I’m not sure what you have seen,” Sterner told the crowd at Thursday’s workshop, “but this is not on the agenda to move forward. We’re nowhere near that right now.”

Count Marissa Strohlein among those who have seen the draft and remain concerned about the limitations regulations may put on residents and business owners.

“The way it’s written, it would ban me from doing the projections I’ve done during October on Race Street,” Strohlein said. “The first year I did it, I featured a bunch of local artists. One young man went on to use it to get into art school. I’m sure there are things we can all agree on like no 8-foot-tall neon naked ladies, but this gives an unprecedented level of control and possibly limits a lot of creative expression.”

The state awarded Jim Thorpe and neighboring Summit Hill Borough a combined $30,070 to assist in cooperative efforts to provide updated and more consistent zoning, and subdivision and land development, regulations.

An initial review is underway, Sterner said, but neither the borough planning commission nor council has provided official comments yet on any proposal.

Local artist Victor Stabin said new regulations seem like a “direct attack on my artwork.”

“Clearly there is reason for concern when a sitting member of council and the planning commission say, ‘we need to get rid of those ugly Stabin signs, how do we do it?” Joan Morykin, press contact for the Stabin Museum, said.

Using the grant money from the state, Jim Thorpe and Summit Hill are using Community Planning and Management as consultants to work on common zoning ordinance definitions and clear and effective regulations that both municipalities could use.

“Community Planning and Management are recommending we take an inventory of all of our signs so we know what we have moving forward,” Sterner said. “That would give us a list of nonconforming signs that would result from a zoning ordinance update. If we have a large list of nonconforming signs, we may wish to adjust the sign regulations to lower that number.”

Planning Commission Chairman Louis Hall said that board is currently reviewing the sign regulations and invited anyone with comments to attend a planning meeting. They occur on the third Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. in Memorial Hall.