BETHLEHEM, Pa. — A green space just off Stefko Boulevard and near the city limits is planned for upgrades to better complement the surrounding neighborhood.
Surrounded by Stefko Boulevard, Pembroke Road and Washington Avenue, the 1.5-acre Nicholas Dutko Park currently doesn’t have much on site besides a stone memorial honoring its namesake.
But by using $150,000 in a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Choice Neighborhoods grant and $110,000 from the city’s Recreation Fee fund, the city envisions a project that “addresses pedestrial safety concerns, provides improved community gathering and recreation space, and showcases neighborhood pride,” according to a memo from Community and Economic Development Director Laura Collins.
For the time being, that could mean additional pathways built on site and some public art courtesy of local students.
"Not only are we listening and not only are we making plans for the future, but we also are investing right now."Community and Economic Development Director Laura Collins
The proposal, brainstormed by its neighbors, steering committee members and city staff, shows “not only are we listening and not only are we making plans for the future, but we also are investing right now,” Collins said.
City Council on April 15 provided a preliminary vote of approval on spending the recreation-fee money on the work.
Future additions at the park may include family-friendly play spaces, community gathering areas and improved lighting.
The park’s namesake, Nicholas Dutko, aka Mr. Blood Bank of the Lehigh Valley, worked to secure blood donors for patients of open-heart surgery, according to an obituary in The Morning Call dated May 21, 1976.
Dutko was an organizer with the Samuel W. Miller Memorial Blood Bank, and he helped form the Tri-Local United Steel Workers of America Blood Bank.
'Key connectors'
Collins said the city has applied for separate grants to cover some other street and sidewalk art for the site.
Also, Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority plans to spend $35,000 to install a couple of new bus shelters eastbound and westbound at Stefko and Washington — an effort expected to be bid as part of the early park improvements.
Bethlehem even proposes applying to the state Transportation department to upgrade a nearby pedestrian crossing signal.
Neighbors have said they wished Stefko Boulevard, Pembroke Road and Marvine Street were more walkable.
“These are critical arterial roads with a history of traffic accidents, but are also in close proximity to popular amenities, like the grocery store, and are key connectors to frequently used walking routes,” project documents read.
'Early-action' project
The initial improvements planned for Dutko Park are considered part of an “early-action” project, to precede a broader planned overhaul of the surrounding Stefko-Pembroke neighborhood.
There’s been about a year and a half of planning, after the city got a $500,000 Choice Neighborhood Planning grant in 2023.
Officials have met with neighborhood residents a number of times since then to discuss local needs, including livening local parks, transit options and employment opportunities.
They’ll take what’s discussed and apply for federal implementation funding upward of $50 million.
“What’s really special about this project is that it’s not just about the housing; it’s also about the neighborhood and the people."Bethlehem City Councilwoman Hillary Kwiatek, on the Choice Neighborhood project in Bethlehem
The nearby Pembroke Village public housing development, built in 1941 and operated by Bethlehem Housing Authority, is made up of two-story townhomes and apartment buildings up to four stories tall.
All 196 units in the development are planned to be replaced with mixed-income housing, but more than 400 new units are proposed for construction as part of the larger project.
The broader area planned for improvements has more than 4,200 residents among the area south and east of Stefko Boulevard, west of Livingston Street and the city limits, north of the Lehigh River and north of Pembroke Road.
“What’s really special about this project is that it’s not just about the housing; it’s also about the neighborhood and the people,” Councilwoman Hillary Kwiatek said.
