Lansford residents are invited to join a strong coalition of folks who are making the town a better place to live and work.

Lansford Alive is conducting its annual membership drive. The all-volunteer nonprofit community improvement group is working hard to bring the borough back to its former vitality by encouraging business, providing fun community events and recognizing residents who contribute to a positive standard of living.This year, the group organized a real estate tour to link business owners and investors to available properties; drew shoppers to a sidewalk sale; installed a large sign directing visitors to the No. 9 Mine & Museum to the downtown business district and hosted several Halloween and Christmas events.Next promises to keep the momentum rolling.Lansford Alive plans to form a committee of residents and council members to confront the issue of vacant, deteriorating buildings. The committee will study new laws addressing blight and learn how the borough can use them to clean up the mess.The group will also use the borough's upcoming designation as a National Historic District to begin securing facade grants to give property owners an incentive to restore and repair their historic buildings.Lansford Alive holds meetings at 8 a.m. on the second Thursday of each month at the Lansford Family Restaurant in the Panther Valley Mini Mall on Ridge Street.For more information, contact Mark Sverchek at (570) 645-2414.