BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Some may know it as Tank Park, others as Friendship Park.
Whatever you call it, the aging 1.3-acre space at 247 E. North St. in North Bethlehem is up for $1.8 million in renovations to be completed this year.
The project is now out for bid, as city and project partners announced Thursday morning at the park.
About 25 people were in attendance, a few of those being city employees and others associated with the Friendship Park overhaul.
The park's new vision plans to offer the area more green space and native trees, central lawn space, a public-access splash pad and a new basketball court.
“Our goal is to create a stellar network of well-marketed and interconnected parks, trails and programming that are accessible to people of all abilities."Corey Gray, the city’s senior planner
The aging park currently has two playgrounds, swing sets, a bicycle safety course, a basketball court and a concrete storage building with murals on the outside walls.
The city on Thursday also kicked off its “40 in 10!” Bethlehem Parks Plan — a community-driven, 10-year guide for bolstering parks-and-recreation opportunities across the city.
“Our goal is to create a stellar network of well-marketed and interconnected parks, trails and programming that are accessible to people of all abilities,” said Corey Gray, the city’s senior planner.
“The master plan will guide the decision-making and strategic planning for the rehabilitation and maintenance of Bethlehem's constellation of parks and recreation opportunities to come.”
Improvements listed in the latest plans for Friendship Park include:
- An asphalt pathway system surrounding a central lawn area would serve as green space for festivals, concerts and more.
- A main entrance along East North Street and secondary entrances along East Garrison.
- A water plaza, with touch-activated, belowground jets.
- The newer playground on site would remain, but the older playground and swing sets would be removed.
- A picnic area, with a 20-foot pavilion, tables and a grill.
- A basketball court.
- An asphalt pathway system.
- Safer, designated vehicle access to the Electrical Bureau building close by.
Lightheartedly yielding a double-rimmed basketball hoop after taking it down from an old goal at the Friendship Park court, Mayor J. William Reynolds said replacing the aging equipment sends a message to the mixed-income neighborhood in North Bethlehem and beyond.
Dare miss a shot and the ball “bounces away like a trampoline,” he said.
A younger Reynolds and his dad, who lived not far from the park themselves, would find other places around the city to play and avoid the dreaded double-rimmed hoop.
“Kids in the neighborhood shouldn’t have to go shoot [basketball] somewhere else,” Reynolds said.
Mayor: 'Class-A' parks locally
According to the mayor, the past eight years for the city have seen investments of around $10 million in its park upgrades.
In the case of Friendship Park, $305,000 from Community Project funding, $15,000 from the Laros Foundation, $747,967 from the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program and additional state Department of Community and Economic Development funding have gotten the project to this point.
Federal, state, county and local financial support all have been crucial in Bethlehem’s successful park projects, officials said.
“It’s not just about investing in your parks; it’s about investing in them at a level that people want to use them, that they want to come out and be a part of them."Bethlehem Mayor J. William Reynolds
And Bethlehem has some “Class-A” park spaces to show for it, he said, referencing Fairview and Rose Garden parks, for example.
“It’s not just about investing in your parks; it’s about investing in them at a level that people want to use them, that they want to come out and be a part of them,” Reynolds said.
Rolf Goellnitz — who now lives near Friendship Park, but originally hails from Germany — said he and his wife have been part of the community discussions leading up to this point.
“We love this idea, we love this plan — but I’m just a little frustrated that, by now, it should be already in the stage of, at least, almost finished."Bethlehem resident Rolf Goellnitz, on progress for renovations at Friendship Park
Goellnitz said he looked forward to a new park that has lots of green space, better conditions for basketball players and will offer people a place “to have a picnic, to take a break, to have shade in the summer.”
However, he said the project timelines appear to him similar to planning commissions 40 or so years ago in East Germany, where he said some of his family members lived: “‘This is going to happen, this is going to happen.’ But nothing happened except the planning itself.”
“We love this idea, we love this plan — but I’m just a little frustrated that, by now, it should be already in the stage of, at least, almost finished,” Goellnitz said.
'Over the years ... '
According to a Friendship Park redesign study from January 2023, Tank Park opened for use in 1872. A reservoir, which remained on site until 1965, dished out drinking water to the nearby residential area.
“Over the years since, the space has served as a cow pasture, a marketplace, and — as it is today — as a recreational space for residents of the city,” the study reads.
Getting to this point has been a few years in the making, with residents sharing feedback at multiple points along the way.
The Northside 2027 Public Realm Committee originally decided a park overhaul was needed. From there, a design firm out of Maryland was brought abroad in 2022 to complete a vision and master plan for the project.
Near the park, a portion of nearby Linden Street is planned for a two-way conversion. When it opens, Bethlehem Co-Op Market (formerly Bethlehem Food Co-Op) will be about a quarter-mile away on Broad Street.
Fairview Park has been a hit since its official, “kid-designed” overhaul back in October 2023.
More to come for the 10-year parks plan
Sheila Fuentes, director with the Easton-based Omnes design studio, said her firm, tasked to help guide the city in building out its 10-year parks plan, will work for “transformative but achievable” recreational solutions that will benefit generations to come.
A virtual public presentation is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on March 20 to take stock of current park and recreational offerings around the city.
For now, residents can get more information and share their thoughts through the Bethlehem Parks & Recreation survey by visiting www.webuild.bethlehem-pa.gov. The survey will be online through April 26.
Call the city parks plan hotline at 484-293-1501 any time of day to leave a message, or to request a paper copy of the survey. The planning team also can be reached by email at info@omnes.studio
One upcoming opportunity for public feedback is planned for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on March 29, at PBS39’s “Be My Neighbor Day” at the Univest Public Media Center in South Bethlehem.
EDITOR'S NOTE: LehighValleyNews.com is part of Lehigh Valley Public Media, along with PBS39 and 91.3 WLVR radio.
