Community center planned for Southside

City staff have begun collecting input from residents about what they want to see from a community center in South Bethlehem.

Bethlehem Mayor J. William Reynolds announced plans in 2022 to construct the community center at a news conference.

There will be a community caucus at Fowler Family Center on March 13 at 6 p.m. for city staff and residents to discuss the center’s cost, location and design.

Alison Madden, the manager of the Bethlehem Area Public Library’s Southside branch, said she hopes to attend the caucus and is excited to gather with others who also have high hopes for the center. 

“I think it’s really important that they hear what the community members want, and especially from the kids in the community,” she said.

Residents are encouraged to submit a short video about their ideas and expectations for the community center, which the city will compile to create a collective vision of the community’s hope for the center.

A kiosk for residents to submit their videos, formerly located in the library, has been moved to Fountain Hill Elementary School.

“We are doing a lot of listening to understand what needs are being met and what needs are not being met, and where the potential space could be for such a facility,” Reynolds said.

Reynolds said a lack of recreational opportunities for youth prompted the plan for a community center, especially after the Boys and Girls Club closed in 2017 due to insufficient funding. 

“I think one of the things that we’ve heard the most is that our young people need places to go, and they need places to go that they can count on being there and being open,” Reynolds said.

Karen Beck Pooley, a political science professor at Lehigh, said catering to youth is one of several ways community centers benefit locals.

She also said community centers can be a valuable means of social connection, as they can provide a place for kids to go after school or for adults seeking social connection.

Community centers have the potential to be a hub for education and health-related support that might otherwise be missing or hard to access, Pooley said.

She said a community center could also play a role in strengthening ties between Lehigh students and Southside residents.

Many spaces, such as Lehigh classrooms or local elementary schools, tend to be explicitly reserved for those who live in their respective community, Pooley said.

Even places with some overlap, such as restaurants near campus, tend to be frequented mostly by one group.

“The more shared spaces there are on the Southside, the better the interaction between the campus and the neighborhood,” Pooley said.