Lehighton plans to forge ahead with improvements to its upper park.

Borough Council Monday agreed to submit an application for a Greenways, Trails and Recreation Program grant. Council also approved a funding commitment letter for the grant.Last year, council approved a resolution approving the submission of the PennDOT Multimodal Grant to be used for the upper park pedestrian connection improvements.Council also approved a funding commitment letter for the Department of Community and Economic Development Greenways, Trails and Recreation Program grant for improvements to the park.Borough Manager Nicole Beckett said the upper park project would consist of curbing, sidewalks, lighting, walkway improvements and better accessibility.The funds can be used to enhance communities by coordinating land use with transportation assets for projects related to streetscapes, lighting, sidewalks, pedestrian safety or transit-oriented development.In June, the borough held a rededication ceremony of the Colonel Jacob Weiss Park.That project also involved the installation of new sidewalks, new walkways, crosswalks, landscaping, fountain updates, a relocation of the memorial pavers and the cleaning and restoring of the Colonel Weiss statue.The lower park's $600,000 transformation was funded by the borough and the Commonwealth Financing Authority, while the improvements were designed by Barry Isett and Associates in 2009.