Bethlehem unveils "40 in 10" parks plan and names three Phase 1 anchor parks

Mayor Reynolds unveiled Bethlehem’s "40 in 10" parks initiative to a council committee, outlining a plan to upgrade 40 parks over the next decade and announcing three parks selected for immediate work: Bernie Fritz in the Northeast, Madison Park on the South Side and Clearview Park on the West Side. "We are cutting the ribbon on Friendship Park," the mayor said, adding the city would use a mix of grant funding and one-time general-fund transfers to accelerate delivery.

The presentation, led by parks staff Kathy and Corey, described a year-long, community-driven process (steering committee meetings, three virtual public meetings, 15 pop-ups and a widely distributed survey) that produced a typology of regional, anchor and community parks and prioritized goals including accessibility, active recreation, programming, climate resiliency and maintenance. "We are looking to do 40 parks in the next 10 years," Corey said, explaining the plan groups the city into four sub-networks (Northeast, Central, South and West) so amenities are distributed across neighborhoods.

City officials sought to emphasize speed and accountability. Reynolds told committee members the administration had shortened typical grant-to-build timelines—from roughly 36 months to about 24 months for projects funded with the city’s one-time dollars—and that an RFP for final design and engineering for the three Phase 1 parks is under review. "If we announce this in February, we have a plan to be able to get this done by the end of the following year," Reynolds said.

Staffers and the consultant Omni’s laid out concept-level amenities for each Phase 1 site: Bernie Fritz would get updated courts, a splash pad, water bottle refill stations and universal/nature play; Madison would focus on basketball improvements, refreshed pavilion and accessible sidewalks; and Clearview would add a splash pad adjacent to an existing pool, introduce dedicated pickleball courts and refresh the poolhouse and parking. Presenters stressed that final features will depend on site engineering and budgets: some elements (for example, a splash pad) may be feasible at lower cost but unaffordable at higher estimates.

Reynolds also said the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) had signaled interest in a combined master-planning grant to support multimillion-dollar master plans for three regional parks—Sand Island, Saucon and Monocacy—and that those master plans would proceed ahead of any large-scale construction. The presentation noted a prior $500,000 Choice Neighborhood planning grant as part of the project’s initial planning support.

Committee members pressed on equity, maintenance and procurement. Councilwoman Kwiatak asked whether the plan’s maps flagged Environmental Justice areas; staff confirmed EJ-zone markers and said the plan includes maps and tables that identify existing and anticipated amenities. Councilman Daniels said South Side residents have long felt they lag behind other parts of the city and urged attention to local needs; Reynolds and staff pointed to work already under way, such as Greenway investments and recent programming, and said the Phase 1 parks were selected to be geographically diverse.

Questions also focused on contracts and staffing: staff said they expect to hire a single firm for final design and engineering to gain efficiencies but had not yet decided whether one construction manager would build all three parks. Staff noted maintenance trade-offs—how often turf is mowed or leaves are collected affects long-term costs—and said programming staff (seasonal and full-time) will be important to sustain use.

The committee did not take any votes; the meeting was informational and adjourned. Staff said they will run neighborhood outreach (pop-ups and targeted solicitations) this summer at the three Phase 1 sites and will return to council with procurement items (a design contract) on the next council agenda.