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Board approves community "Noon Years Eve" event; tennis courts estimated at $118,000, debate over consultant and Jaindl funds
Summary
Supervisors approved a family "Noon Years Eve" event and heard that Danielsville tennis courts need a full rebuild (~$118,000). Board members and residents debated hiring a parks consultant versus using Jaindl developer recreation funds for construction and grants.
The Lehigh Township Board on May 13 approved a community "Noon Years Eve" family event and heard a Recreation Board assessment that Danielsville tennis courts need complete reconstruction at an estimated cost of about $118,000.
Recreation context: Sandy Hopkins told the board she inspected the Danielsville courts with engineer Mike Muffley and concluded they require a full rebuild, with an estimate of roughly $118,000. The Recreation Board also discussed a community event aimed at children and families; the board approved the event with Karlee Farley named as chairperson and asked the Rec Board to coordinate logistics and insurance.
Parks planning and funding debate: Residents and supervisors debated whether to begin by hiring a consultant to produce a comprehensive parks plan or to solicit bids for specific projects. Estimates for planning and project design presented by officials ranged broadly — from roughly $1,000 for small plans up to $500,000 for full, community‑engagement master planning. Several participants urged applying for grants from DCNR and DEP to pay for planning services. Others urged patience and suggested using recreation fee revenue from the Jaindl development to fund construction once engineering and planning requirements are defined.
Why it matters: Recreation facilities affect quality of life and future grant eligibility; the board discussed tradeoffs between spending on planning now (to strengthen grant applications) and waiting to use developer recreation fees for construction. The board agreed to put further parks planning discussion on upcoming agendas and to coordinate with Jaindl and its engineer about eligible improvements.
Representative quotes: "If you keep waiting, nothing will get done," one resident said while others counseled restraint to preserve grant eligibility and developer credit provisions.
What’s next: The Recreation Board will continue discussions and seek funding paths; the board expects Jaindl representatives and engineering to be part of follow‑up meetings about Indiantrail Park and other improvements.
