Three municipalities moved another small step toward possibly establishing a regional recreational organization Tuesday night during a meeting in Slatington's borough hall.

Discussions with Pennsylvania's Department of Conservation and Natural Resources originally began last fall when representatives of the Northern Lehigh Community Center asked about ways to obtain more funding for the center. However, that quickly led to the idea of asking all three municipalities if they would like to form a broader, umbrella-type organization that could also assist them with meeting their own individual recreational needs.Representatives, both volunteer elected officials and volunteer residents, of Slatington, Walnutport and Washington Township, gathered to meet with DCNR Recreation and Park adviser Monica A. Hoffman. She has been guiding the group through its initial phases of obtaining the grant needed to have a peer consultant sit down on a regular basis to discuss whether or not such an organization is in everyone's best interest.On Tuesday, Hoffman introduced at peer consultant Sue Landis, who is also the executive director of the Lancaster Recreation Commission. Landis, who was selected for her knowledge and experience in recreation and parks, will now conduct the peer-to-peer study effort and offer technical assistance.Hoffman said that while the DCNR initially gets involved in the process by helping groups apply for the grant to conduct the study, then offering up its best choice for a peer consultant, once the study is underway, the DCNR removes itself from the process so the municipalities and the consultant can take over."(Sue) is our best peer professional in the entire state," Hoffman said, praising Landis for her past work, including having conducted Pennsylvania's very first peer project 1990 in Altoona, a regional recreational commission that still exists today."You are in the best hands that DCNR can find for you," she said.For her own part, Landis said she has worked full time with parks and recreation since 1979 and is also familiar with the area, having served for a year and a half several years ago on a team for the Northern Lehigh Comprehensive Recreation Park and Open Space Plan.After her introduction, she and Hoffman asked each person to describe their first impressions of the proposed organization. Many said they at first had thought its purpose was simply to assist the community center but now understood otherwise.Afterward, they asked what each person's hopes were in regard to perceived benefits. Many answers involved greater utilization of the area's hiking trails while others involved cleaning up and maintaining in-need recreational facilities, such as the Northern Lehigh Swimming Pool. Providing summer recreation programs, programs for seniors and marketing of area facilities were also mentioned.The group agreed to meet at the Slatington borough hall at 5 p.m. the third Tuesday of each month, beginning May 20, to continue this peer-to-peer study, which can take up to a year to complete."We can take (this process) as slow or as fast as you want," Landis said.Hoffman said that any municipality can pull out of the process at any time, but if two or more decide to finish up the peer-to-peer study, their next step would be to apply for a Circuit Rider Projects grant. Those municipalities, not the DCNR, would then have the authority to collectively hire whomever they chose as their "circuit rider," or recreational director, who can also assist with grant writing.