With thousands of visitors flocking to Jim Thorpe each fall, borough officials and residents are wrestling with how to handle traffic, parking and overcrowding that some say have stretched the town to its limits.

At a public meeting Monday, Police Chief Joe Schatz said the borough is working with Carbon County and the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway, which is operated by the Reading & Northern Railroad, to improve communication and reduce congestion.

“We’ve started open lines of communication with the railroad,” Schatz said. “The borough, the railroad and the county have recently gotten together to improve communication. We formed a committee here within the borough to try and work more effectively with the railroad so we can overcome those problems, like excessive traffic.”

Schatz said the borough hosted Monday’s meeting to give residents a chance to be heard.

“We want to open lines of communication with everyone,” he said. “This is an opportunity for the community to voice concerns, and for us to figure out together how to move forward.”

Troy Brown of Chestnut Avenue said the number of train passengers is overwhelming the town.

“Having nine train rides a day, 400 people each, close to 4,000 people, plus all the trains they bring in the same day, just doesn’t work anymore,” Brown said. “It has to be a meeting between the county and the railroad. Everything else works fine — it’s just too many people at once.”

Traffic flow has also become a recurring issue. Last year, the borough made Center Avenue one-way west and South Avenue one-way east in the Heights neighborhood. Officials said the change reduced congestion and will continue this year.

Brown urged the borough to make some of those patterns permanent.

“That worked very well last year,” he said.

Parking was another central concern. Schatz said the borough added an outside lot in Nesquehoning with shuttles downtown in an effort to keep vehicles out of the borough. Officials also developed QR code cards that direct visitors to available lots using Google or Apple maps.

Still, many residents said the problem is getting worse.

“Last year, people were parked up to the 700 and 800 blocks,” resident Ann Gula said. “Had I not had a paper alley behind my house, I would have parked four or five blocks away just to get to my house.”

More help needed

Gula suggested the borough may need professional help.

“There has to be somebody out there with experience in helping to manage small towns that have been inundated with tourism,” she said.

Police resources remain limited. Schatz said the department has nine officers and relies on mutual aid from neighboring agencies when necessary.

“We’ve partnered with some other agencies in the past,” Schatz said. “We have mutual aid on standby if something should occur.”

The borough renewed a contract this year with BCM Security of Wilkes-Barre to provide traffic control. The initial agreement called for five BCM officers and one supervisor.

Grant funding will allow the borough to have eight traffic control officers for the four weekends in October and two in November.

Resident Steve Ambrose said resources are stretched thin.

“We are a small town, and during those weekends in the fall, it’s not a small town, it’s a big city,” he said. “It’s very difficult to manage that.”

Some residents pushed for broader changes. Brian Evans said the borough needs a long-term plan.

“For too long, we’ve lacked that,” Evans said. “It’s been much more reactionary. We need a strategic vision for where we want to be and how we’re going to get there.”

Evans suggested expanding the business district along West Broadway and working with developers on Flagstaff Mountain parking.

“We need more space. We need to be able to spread people out over a greater distance,” he said.

Options

Business owner Margaret White, owner of the Stone Row Pub, said visitors need better preparation.

“When we used to take reservations, I would ask people, ‘Do you know what you’re getting into for October?’ and they would all say no,” she said. “I would tell them, have a parking plan and leave the stroller at home.”

Borough Manager Maureen Sterner said the borough has limited options.

“We can only do what the state entrusts us with,” she said. “We can’t put our own hotel tax on. We can’t put a sales tax on. That’s why you have to talk to the representative and the senator to find ways to help communities.”

The borough plans another public meeting Oct. 16 at 6 p.m. at Memorial Hall to continue the discussion.