Despite new rules in place, illegal parking and litter issues at Beltzville State Park remain fresh on the minds of Franklin Township residents.

Clint Hawk, of Fresh Meadow Drive, asked at the meeting Tuesday what the plan is for Beltzville with the overflow parking.

Kelli Carpenter, also of Fresh Meadow Drive, said she felt as if she couldn’t leave her house, especially during the three holiday weekends last year.

“Last year was a disaster on our road,” Carpenter said. “It was terrible last year.”

Supervisor Barbara Beltz said she attended a meeting earlier this month at Beltzville State Park to discuss the operations plan and updated response to the ongoing crowding and traffic issues.

Beltz said she was joined at that meeting by township police officer David Roberts.

She said they were going to post on social media when the park is at near capacity.

“They’re trying to fix that this year,” Beltz said. “That’s why they were saying about putting it out on social media.”

However, Hawk said people who are driving several hours to visit the state park aren’t going to want to turn around.

Cressley will talk to township engineer Greg Haas about completing a traffic study to post no parking signs.

Board Chairman Jason Frey said something needs to be done.

“They can’t be parking in their yards,” Frey said.

Beltzville announced new measures following a meeting last week with local and state officials and police.

DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn took part, as well as the park’s new manager, Ben Monk.

The new rules are aimed at eliminating parking in areas that are unsafe, and parking areas outside the main gates of the park which have been damaged due to overuse.

The biggest changes are limits on parking.

Between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day, weekend parking will be prohibited at the Wild Creek, Christman Trail, Evergreen and Cove Parking areas.

Parking on the soccer fields inside the main gates is now prohibited.

Once the gated day use area reaches capacity, DCNR will close Pohopoco Drive between Pine Run Road and Green Street. Visitors won’t be allowed to walk into the day use area once it is full.

Any buses parking at Beltzville will need prior written permission from the park manager.

The changes don’t just affect parking.

DCNR said additional staff from other parks will be on hand during busy weekends.

DCNR plans to put up more portable toilets, dumpsters and signs with park rules.

Beltzville State Park Concerned Citizens posted on Facebook that gates are going in on all four game commission parking lots along Pohopoco.

“Another small Victory in our fight to contain the unwanted visitors that trash the shorelines, parking lots & surrounding areas throughout the summer, blaring their music, using drugs and causing the Game Commission officers to devote a lot of their resources to combat the issues,” Kevin Christman posted for the group.

Last month, Towamensing Township residents voiced concerns following a year of record attendance.

On multiple weekends last summer, parking areas reached capacity, which was capped at 75 percent due to the pandemic.

To further compound matters, visitors parked illegally along Pohopoco Drive, which has been a long-standing problem.

The lake attracts people from in and out of the county, along with some out-of-state travelers.

In July, state Rep. Doyle Heffley called for the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to limit Beltzville’s day-use areas to Pennsylvania residents only, citing concerns about potential spikes in COVID-19 cases.

People recently posted on Facebook about an article detailing all the park has to offer at www.onlyinyourstate.com.

The article states, “A secret tropical beach in Pennsylvania, the water at Beltzville State Park is a mesmerizing blue.”

It adds, “However, be forewarned that the beach, which does not have lifeguards, can get crowded, especially on the weekends.”

The article also notes that other popular activities at the park include mountain biking and wildlife watching, and to visit it in the winter for some cross-country skiing.

DCNR manages the 2,972-acre park in Towamensing and Franklin townships, including the 949-acre lake on behalf of its owner, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The Army Corps built the dam and lake for flood control along the Lehigh and Delaware rivers.