BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Saucon Park on William Street is sporting some improvements ahead of warmer-weather months to come.
At a ribbon-cutting at the lower level of the park Thursday, officials unveiled the area's new equipment and critical maintenance completed or in progress, courtesy of a $200,000 state grant received in 2023.
As told by city Recreation Director Jodi Evans, those include:
- New swing set with ADA access. (Evans said the city would continue looking for ways to implement more of the features)
- Outdoor ping-pong table
- Multi-person spinner
- Quiet Grove sensory space and calming area, complete with sliders, buttons and gadgets
- Couple of climbing apparatuses done up with fresh paint
- Redone creek-retaining wall
- Planted 10 new trees, took down some unhealthy ones
- Fixing up the bridge, to be completed in May
- Reopened access to park’s two pavilions.
Pavilions for rent
With flooding from Hurricane Ida putting the Saucon Creek retaining wall and nearby park pavilions out of commission in 2021, this year marks the first since then that the shelters will be up for rent again.
Evans said there are “second-to-none” masonry workers among the city ranks who handled the renovation work.
“Think about all of the families that have been coming here for three and four generations, and now, with these improvements, families will be able to continue to come to Saucon Park for years to come."State Rep. Steve Samuelson
As for park-goers, Evans said many with whom she's spoken seem most excited about the pavilions coming back.
Reservations for the 2025 season open this weekend.
The season lasts from April 12 through Oct. 5. The pavilions are available from 10 a.m. to dusk.
Saucon Park opened about a century ago.
The space got a notable revamp back when Franklin Roosevelt was in the White House, thanks to the efforts of the New Deal-era Works Progress Administration.
Though there have been other updates since then, the most recent ones will surely go on to benefit present and future generations, officials said.
“Think about all of the families that have been coming here for three and four generations," said state Rep. Steve Samuelson, who helped to secure the recent grant funding.
"And now, with these improvements, families will be able to continue to come to Saucon Park for years to come.”
Greenway connection to come
And with Saucon Park being just a couple of blocks away from the South Bethlehem Greenway, it’s worth noting the city is completing its final-phase design work for a future connection with the Saucon Rail Trail.
Bethlehem also got a $500,000 state grant to cover the land acquisition, with another half-million to be used on the development of the connection point.
“That’s what we’re trying to get back to, is this idea of systemic investment in the places that we share across all income levels, across all races, across all people who live within our community.”Bethlehem Mayor J. William Reynolds
“That’s what we’re trying to get back to, is this idea of systemic investment in the places that we share across all income levels, across all races, across all people who live within our community,” Mayor J. William Reynolds said.
Reynolds said the city’s current parks study, known as 40 in 10, has gathered more than 500 responses from the public so far.
