City of Bethlehem

This morning started by me taking down a double rim. If you ever shot at a double rim, you know they are the worst. No one plays on a court with a double rim. Double rims are also a symbol of what happens when the public picks the cheapest option for their parks. Parks don’t become a meeting place or a place to have fun but rather an underutilized resource that screams for love. We have created and opened some true park destinations over the past four years. We have been able to, largely through state and federal grants, invest millions of dollars in Memorial Pool, the Greenway, Fairview Park, the Rose Garden, and our recreational spaces which bring families and friends together to celebrate fun, music, and community. Today, we kicked off our latest big project, the Friendship Park $1.8 million revitalization project that will be completed in 2025 and completely transform the park. We also launched “40 in 10” this morning - a ten-year master plan community process to invest in our entire park system. As a community, we will be setting programming, infrastructure, and staffing goals with an implementation plan that reflects the needs and priorities of our neighborhoods. The project will kick off with a Virtual Public Presentation on March 20th at 6:30pm with a present inventory and analysis of existing parks and recreational opportunities. Residents are also invited to take the Bethlehem Parks & Recreation Survey by visiting We Build Bethlehem! (https://lnkd.in/gCXR3TXp) or scanning the project’s QR code (on board below). Residents can also make their voices heard (or request a paper copy of the Parks Survey) by calling the Bethlehem Parks & Recreation Master Plan Hotline at ?484-293-1501 – leave a message about what you want to see in Bethlehem’s parks system! Or contact the planning team by email at [email protected]. ?We have made a lot of progress but have a lot more to go. But no more double rims. - J. William Reynolds City of Bethlehem #NoMoreDoubleRims #BethlehemPA #LehighValley #Parks #Recreation

The City of Bethlehem is excited to announce that the next round of Community Recovery Fund grants will open on March 15, 2025, and close on May 15, 2025. This funding opportunity supports local #nonprofit organizations working to create lasting and meaningful improvements in our communities. ??Apply online: https://lnkd.in/e2cu7dQK Questions? Contact Lori Gilio, Grants Administrator, at 610-997-7970 or [email protected]. Before applications open, we’re hosting a virtual information session on Thursday, March 13, at 3:00 PM via Zoom. ??Register for the session here: https://lnkd.in/ecT4YAY6 Details from the session will be available on the Community Recovery Fund website by March 15. Let’s work together to strengthen our community! ?? #BethlehemPA #CommunityRecoveryFund

The City of Bethlehem is creating a community-driven #parks and #recreation master plan and needs the public’s help to shape a vision for the future. When: 11 a.m. on Thursday, March 6, 2025 Where: Friendship Park, 247 E. North Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018 What: This Northside Alive park is about to undergo a $1.5 million transformation after a community-driven planning process. For many years, fiscal constraints made this type of investment in a city park infeasible, but the City’s strong finances mean it is now better poised to invest in its parks and recreation network. Now, we need the community’s help developing a master plan to create a stellar network of equitable, well-marketed and interconnected parks, trails and programming that are accessible to people of all abilities. The master plan will guide decision-making and strategic planning for the rehabilitation and maintenance of Bethlehem’s constellation of parks and recreation opportunities for years to come, identifying recommendations for short-term improvements as well as long-term strategic goals for the City’s parks system. *RAIN DATE: This is an outdoors event. In case of rain, this event will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, March 7. #LehighValley #BethlehemPA

Built by Bethlehem. When you are part of our community, you are always part of our community. Another big crowd (thank you!) gathered last night to talk about the plans for our South Bethlehem Community Center. We played our Community Anthem (link below!) and we announced our recommended location, the Greenway parking lot on Mechanic Street between Webster and Taylor Streets. We also announced our development co-chairs to help us in City Hall make it happen. South Bethlehem’s own Darrun Hilliard will once again help us rise up as he has done so many times. Darrun couldn’t be more excited to help lead us. Joining Darrun is Tony DaRe, a community leader throughout the Valley and a South Bethlehem business owner. We have a plan built by our community and we couldn’t be more excited to take the steps in fundraising, programming design, community engagement, and building design. https://lnkd.in/ecSyPFeV #Community #BASDProud #Bethlehem City of Bethlehem

The City of Bethlehem celebrated the success of the Community Recovery Fund, which uses American Rescue Plan Act (#ARPA) funds to help nonprofits address critical needs like mental health, child care, and economic development. In 2023, $799,390 was awarded to 28 organizations, serving over 41,000 people in six months. We’re excited to announce the 2024 Community Recovery Fund recipients: - Bach Choir of Bethlehem: You Belong! - Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Lehigh Valley: Bethlehem Area High School Bigs Mentoring Program - Bloom for Women, LLC: Flourish Workforce Development Program - Boys & Girls Club of Bethlehem: Southside Bethlehem Programming - Cay Galgon Life House: Residential Program - CAT-Coalition for Appropriate Transportation: Office Move and Build-Out - CADCB (Community Action Development Corporation of Bethlehem) : Southside Recreation - Eastern PA Trans Equity Project: Empowerment and Supportive Services for Transgender Community Members - Esther M Lee African American Heritage Center: Online Digital Archive and Community Programming - IceHouse Performing Arts Collaborative: Collaborative Expenses - Lehigh University - SouthSide Initiative: Rooted Documentary Film - Lehigh Valley Community Foundation: CORE Fellowship Program - New Bethany: Southside Drop-In Center - Pinebrook Family Answers: School-Based Integrated Behavioral Health Services - Second Harvest Food Bank of the Lehigh Valley and Northeast Pennsylvania: Pantry Support - Shanthi Project: Bridge to Middle School - Star Community Health: Target Blood Pressure Program - The Lehigh Conference of Churches: Soup Kitchen/Street Outreach - Thrive Hub, Inc.: Literacy Liberation Author Tour - Touchstone Theatre: Festival UnBound Community Arts Initiative - Victory House Of Lehigh Valley: Homeless Empowerment Initiative Thank you to these organizations for their incredible work in strengthening our community! #BethlehemStrong #CommunityRecoveryFund