The September meeting of the Lehigh Canal Recreation Commission was a discussion on how the commission can continue to operate and to grow.

The Lehigh Canal Recreation Commission is made up of seven municipalities: Jim Thorpe, Lehighton, Weissport, Franklin Township, Mahoning Township, East Penn Township and Parryville. Each of the municipalities is supposed to have a representative serve on the commission. However, Mahoning Township, Parryville and East Penn Township do not currently have representatives.

“The D&L Trail and the canal have become an integral part of the economy of the county,” said commission adviser Dennis DeMara. “And I don’t think most people know how it is operated or maintained. They assume it’s there and always will be, but that’s not always the case, especially if we get one big storm that causes a lot of damage.”

The D&L Trail runs 165 miles through five counties in Pennsylvania from Wilkes-Barre to Easton. Each section of the trail is owned by different landowners, 32 in total.”

In Carbon County, the six-mile section of the trail from the water treatment plant in Jim Thorpe to Parryville is owned and maintained by the Lehigh Canal Recreation Commission.

“With Denny (Dennis Bauchspies, president of the commission) stepping back, we really should have a part-time person/coordinator,” said DeMara.

Bauchspies is leaving the commission at the end of the year.

While volunteers help in many areas, it’s the municipal representatives who run the commission.

The operating budget is $4,200 per year. However, it was suggested that the commission realistically should have an annual budget of $25,000 ($15,000 for a part-time person, $5,000 for administration/insurance, and $5,000 for maintenance).

In other business:

The commission voted to amend the bylaws to change the quorum requirement of four commission members to three.

The LCRC Trail Cleanup day will be held at 9 a.m. on Oct. 14 at the Weissport Trail Head. Volunteers are invited to help clean up sections of the trail in that area.

The commission decided to create a Power Point presentation with information about it and its goals and history. The presentation will be made at a Carbon County commissioners meeting this month. Claire Sadler, executive director of the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, attended the September meeting and agreed to help in preparing the presentation.

The commission also voted to hold a public town-hall type of event in October. The exact date and time will be determined once a venue is selected. The staff of the D&L National Heritage Corridor will help in preparing this event.

Anyone who would like to donate to the Lehigh Canal Recreation Commission can do so through a fund sent up through the Carbon County Community Foundation at https://cccfoundpa.org/lehigh-canal-park-fund/. All donations are tax deductible.