Parks committee advances $2,000 grant to upgrade Jordan Meadows fountain

The Allentown City Parks and Recreation Committee voted to advance legislation sending $2,000 in state mini-grant funds to the full city council for approval to upgrade a fountain at Jordan Meadows. Staff read Bill 5, which proposes a supplemental appropriation to the 2026 general fund for the Lehigh Valley Greenway project, and the committee moved the item forward without public comment.

Miss Chalena, Parks Department staff, said the award is a small annual “mini grant” that the department applied for and received to replace the existing water fountain and add a bottle-filling station at Jordan Meadows. “So this is a small grant, a mini grant that they have every year, and we applied and were able to receive funds to upgrade the water fountain to a bottle filling station and a new water fountain at Jordan, Jordan Meadows,” she said.

Committee Chair asked for a motion to advance the measure; Mister Bender made the motion and Mister Pongo seconded. The committee did not take a roll-call vote on the record during this meeting; Chair said the item will move forward to the full council for final action.

The appropriation is modest in size and limited to the fountain upgrade. The committee did not discuss broader capital needs or a funding plan beyond the grant; no public comments were recorded during the item. The full council will consider Bill 5 during its next review of the 2026 general fund amendments.