A Jim Thorpe Borough councilman is urging his colleagues to make a decision on a developer's agreement lingering since 2005 for a proposed Flagstaff Mountain residential project.

Jacob Arner, of Awesome View Properties, requested the borough allow him to pay for improvements to Flagstaff Road with the first few lot sales from the development.In 2005, Arner agreed to pay $153,000 to the borough for improvements to Flagstaff Road, which adjoins the first two phases of the development, in exchange for relaxed subdivision rules related to curbing and lighting.Last week, Jim Nanovic, borough solicitor, said the cost of improving the road has since increased to $350,000, according to a report from Kim Mazur, borough engineer."The borough doesn't have money to fix the road, and I have agreed to give them money to fix the road, but I can't just go out to the bank and get that today," Arner said. "Banks just aren't lending that kind of money. My agreement will cover the borough's expenses, all I am doing is asking for fairness."The status of the developer's agreement has been before the borough for several months, and Councilman John McGuire said it's time for that to come to an end."No matter what our point of view is, we owe the guy a decision," McGuire said. "He's been coming here for a long time and it's not right to drag this out."McGuire said the decision might be appropriate to make in 2016 when two new members of council, Kyle Sheckler and Jay Miller, come on board.Around 20 lots are planned for the first phase of the project. Arner said in August he estimates the lots will sell for around $65,000.He told council Thursday he's had interest from investors willing to pay for the development's infrastructure, but they will not put up the money for the Flagstaff Road improvements."If we had started back when there was some interest there, we likely would have had some lot sales already and I could have started giving the borough payments," Arner said.Several council members are skeptical about allowing Arner to move forward without money in hand for Flagstaff Road."If he would have come up with the money 10 years ago, he could have started then," councilman Thomas Highland said of Arner. "He signed a deal in 2005. I don't think we are the ones dragging our feet here."Councilwoman Joanne Klitsch agreed, arguing that the borough "should not be a bank for everyone."Since the original agreement in 2005, another project on Flagstaff Mountain has pushed forward.Timothy Markley, of Surreal Properties, is planning a 35-room, 24,000-square-foot hotel at 600 Flagstaff Road, also the site of the current Flagstaff Ballroom and Gallo's Restaurant.It received a variance from the Jim Thorpe Zoning Hearing Board in July to allow the project in a medium density residential district."I don't believe the intention was ever for you to bear the entire cost of fixing the road," McGuire told Arner. "There is another project up there now and those are discussions we need to have."Arner said he would like to stick by the original agreement, one he feels would benefit both sides."If we don't plan for the future, Flagstaff Road will never be improved and we won't have additional money to add to the borough tax base," he said.