Two changes are coming to traffic patterns in Jim Thorpe Borough.

Borough council on Thursday night approved ordinance updates extending the amount of time School Street is closed between Fifth and Sixth streets and creating a "no left turn" condition from West Tenth Street onto North Street, except for buses for a short time at the end of the school day.According to Jim Thorpe Police Chief Joseph Schatz, the closing of SS. Peter and Paul Catholic School in Lehighton has led to increased enrollment at St. Joseph Regional Academy in Jim Thorpe.Currently, the borough has an ordinance closing School Street between 11:15 a.m. and 1:30 p.m."The school has asked that we extend the closure time to something like 9 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.," Schatz said. "This is a basically a safety item for the kids."Schatz said he'll check with the school on the exact time they want the street closed.The other change will be a "no left turn" restriction from West Tenth Street onto North Street from 3 to 3:45 p.m. Monday through Friday during the school year. School buses will be exempt from the restriction."What happens at L.B. Morris Elementary School after school is that parents sit at that intersection waiting to turn left, and it backs up traffic," Schatz said. "It's been a big concern and creates quite the logjam on Tenth Street."Meanwhile, the borough continues to deal with parking complaints.Barry Andrew, former Jim Thorpe police chief, said Thursday that the parking situation on West Broadway is "ridiculous.""People move in the Three Towers apartment complex and they don't get a parking spot with it so they're taking up all of the parking spaces," Andrew said. "The tourists don't want to pay to park in the county lot. I have to pay just to have a parking spot when I come home."Mayor Michael Sofranko said the only way to truly address parking is for the borough to create a parking authority."It just doesn't work when you have council try to sit down at the table and regulate parking," he said. "If you look at Allentown or the Lehigh Valley, they have parking authorities that deal with it."Solicitor James Nanovic noted that the county previously rejected a parking deck proposal in Jim Thorpe.In other borough news, council approved a replacement blower for the borough's wastewater treatment plant at $45,269, and a new grinder pump for $23,992.The blower provides aeration for the treatment process. The grinder breaks up materials as they enter the plant. Borough officials said the current grinder is worn out and "can't perform its intended function.""Since they are both replacements and needed in an emergency situation, there is no bidding required," Nanovic said.Council also approved an $18,000 environmental study necessary for future plant upgrades.