The City of Bethlehem is planning to build a new community center along the South Bethlehem Greenway on Mechanic Street.
The center is the product of feasibility reports, community engagement and ongoing discussions between community members, through which city officials recognized many residents have a desire for a community center on the South Side.
The South Side Community Center is planned to be for people of all ages, with a focus on youth recreation. The Bethlehem City Council estimates it will be constructed within the next year.
Numerous companies — Atkin Olshin Schade Architects, MASS Design Group, Taggart Associates, and Ideas and Action — collaborated with the city throughout the past year to conduct a feasibility study for the center, which was finalized and presented at a city council meeting in January.
At this meeting, residents and officials discussed the precursory concepts and design plans for the project. The council also discussed community engagement processes that were conducted in spring 2024 to determine whether or not Bethlehem residents actually need the center.
As outlined in the center’s feasible study’s report, the community engagement process included four focus group sessions with 16 community leaders and nine middle school students. Video tributes, interviews, surveys and a community caucus, which was attended by 60 residents, were also conducted.
“The engagement process involved conversations with students, nonprofits and South Bethlehem community leaders,” said Bethlehem Mayor J. William Reynolds. “It led to a wonderful product and allowed us to deliberate the needs of the South Bethlehem community going forward.”
Reynolds also said one activity invited residents to come together to create Bethlehem’s Community Anthem, in which they gave their opinions about why a new community center would be beneficial.
Michael Schade, principal of Atkin Olshin Schade Architects, said the city received an “enthusiastic response” from the community about the proposed community center throughout these processes, and the firm plans to continue its collaboration with the City of Bethlehem to help make it a reality.
Bethlehem City Councilman Bryan Callahan said he believes the city has a definite need for this center.
“In this day and age, where children spend so much of their time on computers and video games, it couldn’t be more important for them to have a community center and be involved and active,” he said.
According to Bethlehem’s Community Anthem, residents hope the community center will have a resource center, office space, communal kitchen, gymnasium, locker rooms, a multi-purpose room, a teen lounge and space for children. They also want plenty of outdoor play space, a communal garden and parking for pop-ups events, such as food trucks.
after considering many different sites, Schade said the Mechanic Street parking lot located directly on the Greenway was determined to be the most promising space for the community center due to its availability, accessibility and centrality.
However, Callahan said people who live on the north, west and east sides of Bethlehem might struggle to find adequate transportation to the community center on the South Side.
Additionally, he said parking accessibility is a significant concern in the area as it is, and it might be further strained when the community center opens.
“The location is key,” he said. “This community center must be centrally located and available for all Bethlehem residents, not just South Side residents.”
Despite finalizing the feasibility study, Schade said all plans for the center are pending until further notice.
He said the next steps for the project are to fundraise and evaluate government funding opportunities before any building designs are finalized. According to the report, the city has developed three financial tools — an operating model, a funding plan and a total development cost budget — to prepare for the community center’s cost.
The City of Bethlehem predicts it will spend $15.8 million on the center’s construction, with an additional $2 million per year for upkeep.
Reynolds said construction and upkeep of the center will require a sustainability plan, as the city does not plan on running the facility. He also said ideally, the plan will cover transportation access, programming and more.
More information on the community center is available in the Bethlehem South Side Community Center report, which can be found on the City of Bethlehem’s website.
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