A Lehighton man questioned why the Lehighton Area Merchants Association’s Krampus Nacht event application was not approved last month.

Resident Nick Catania said at last week’s borough council meeting that he was “very disappointed” by what he saw at last month’s meeting.

At that meeting, LAMA’s request for use of property and road closure from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Dec. 5 came up short.

Marissa Strohlein, who has hosted the Black Forest Krampusnacht festival for the past several years, told borough council last month that most of the profits would go to the actors and artists for the Haunted Trail.

For the vendors, 30% of the vendor fee would go to LAMA, while 50% would go to Carbon County Children & Youth.

She added that $1,045 was raised for Carbon County Children & Youth.

However, Councilman Joe Flickinger said he was concerned because the date for the event this year falls on the same weekend as Lehighton’s Christmas in the Park, which is scheduled the following day.

Borough police Chief Troy Abelovsky agreed, adding it could lend itself to a safety hazard due to the shared space on the same weekend.

Tina Henninger, of the Lehighton Area Merchants Association, said part of the reason LAMA sponsors the event is to help the downtown businesses.

But Flickinger said he doesn’t feel comfortable mixing the two events.

Councilman Dave Arndt asked if there were any safety concerns from the event last December.

Public Works Department Supervisor Kris Kunkle told borough council he had gotten some complaints from some of the postal service carriers concerning walking.

Henninger said many people attended.

Mayor Ryan Saunders added it was a “big safety concern,” and added it was “just not a very safe setup for that area.”

But Catania told borough council last week he believes the town should be “chomping at the bit” to host the event after it raised over $1,000.

Saunders noted that while Flickinger expressed concerns, a lot of them were safety issues that were not addressed.

Henninger said last month that they’ll just take the event to Mahoning Township. She cautioned borough council at last month’s meeting that “some of our businesses are hanging on.”