At Thursday night's meeting, Mayor Michael Sofranko proposed various changes for the town.

He said it was brought to his attention a few months ago that parking on Fern Street was becoming an issue.The street is very narrow, and parking is currently allowed on both sides.People have been having problems getting in and out of their driveways.Sofranko said, "We actually looked at it during the fireworks with parking on both sides. You can't get an emergency vehicle between there."Both he and Police Chief Joe Schatz recommend that the borough enforce no parking on Fern Street from Olympian Way to East 13th Street.Each home on the street has a driveway, and there is plenty of off-street parking, Sofranko said.A similar issue was addressed years ago, where West 13th Street is now designated to have no parking.Fern Street is near Jim Thorpe High School, as well as Memorial Park."The chief and I chose to look at safety," Sofranko said of the changes that would ensure safety during any events at the high school or park.He suggested the borough send Fern Street residents a letter and plan to meet with them.The decision is being deliberated by borough council.Mayor Sofranko also suggested that the borough consider having fire police in Jim Thorpe."The chief and I have seen a really dire need for fire police here in Jim Thorpe," he said, referring to traffic, accidents, fires and emergencies at Glen Onoko Falls.Council member John McGuire suggested reaching out to Penn Forest to find out how their fire police were trained.Jim Thorpe had fire police years ago, but since then, there has become a need for them, Sofranko said.In other business, Schatz spoke regarding the bridge work over the Lehigh River.He said a lot of people were complaining about banging and drilling that was occuring until 2 or 3 a.m.Schatz met with the site manager, and the crew will now drill from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.The drilling will be done for approximately six more months.