Lehighton could eventually be registered as a trail town.

Alice Wanamaker, member relations director for the Carbon Chamber & Economic Development, recently discussed the possibility with borough council.Wanamaker spoke about partnering with the D&L Trail to designate the borough as a trail town to promote businesses and activities.She said the next phase is for Lehighton and Slatington to do a self-analysis.Councilwoman Lisa Perry, a member of the Lehighton Downtown Initiative, said that the first step was to review the questions to see if they pertained to the areas.Perry said that process began this past Sunday when she and Wanamaker met with residents/business owners interested in spearheading the process in Slatington to review those questions.She said that in the event Lehighton does get labeled as a trail town, the town will be eligible for grants that can be used to revitalize the area around the town, and update or implement items that will make it more attractive for anyone using the trail to encourage them to visit the area and visit its local shops."The benefit as a trail town, it would definitely help be able to get grants to be able to do some redevelopment in the area to make it look nicer," Perry said. "I just think it's going to be a really exciting opportunity for Lehighton."Perry said that sometime in January, the LDI will do a walk-through of Slatington, and vice versa, and that once a date is established, anyone interested in taking part may contact her at 610-573-8331.Pam Coleman, D&L Landmark Towns and Trail Towns, said a Trail Town is a designation that lets trail users know that if they leave the trail and enter that community, that they will be welcome.Coleman noted that the D&L Trail is 88 percent complete, and that by 2020, it will have 165 miles of contiguous trail that will run from Wilkes-Barre to Bristol.Additionally, she said the D&L will be the longest trail in the state, and as a result, has easy access to airports, which can accommodate the large number of people who visit for long weekends to conduct trail riding and walking and hiking."We want to help the communities be ready to greet those visitors," Coleman said.Coleman said a questionnaire has been developed, and they break people into small groups to help them quantify what it is they need, help them with planning, and to spark conversation."When people live in communities, they stop seeing it the way others see it," she said. "It's to look at it with fresh eyes, and identify do they need signage, trails connecting to trailheads, what do they need at the trailhead, and what do they have in the downtown to entice visitors."