A park that serves as the community hub in Slatington will be further enhanced upon the receipt of a $1,095 grant.

The donation will enable Northern Lehigh Future Focus to continue to revitalize the streetscape along Main Street, as well as beautify Slatington Memorial Park, located at the site of the former Slatington High School at Main & Second streets.Marlyn Kissner, executive vice president, Northern Region, Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, Carbon Chamber and Economic Development, presented a check to Jason Breidinger, Immediate Past President of the Greater Northern Lehigh Chamber of Commerce, at a recent joint luncheon between the Greater Northern Lehigh Chamber and Palmerton Area Chamber of Commerce."The grants are the key to revitalizing our main streets to make them attractive places to do business, visit, live and play," Kissner said. "The Northern Lehigh Future Focus group does an outstanding job working with community partners such as the Chamber's MSLV Foundation, the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor and Lehigh County to build upon projects to support their community."The addition of interpretive wayside signs, litter receptacles, trees and a bike rack will improve the overall usability of the park. All of these elements were included in the original park plan.The interpretive signs will help both residents and visitors understand the historical significance of the site. Litter receptacles will aid in helping keep the park clean, and the bike rack encourages use of alternative transportation, and helps ensure the site will be a destination for bikers using the local trails. The benefits of adding trees to enhance beauty provide shade and as an asset to the environment to a site such as this park are well documented.The completion of the park project is a key element in the overall effort to reestablish the vitality of Main Street, Slatington.Breidinger said he was, "Extremely thankful for the fact that the Chamber chose to provide funding to Future Focus. Future Focus has worked hard for many years to beautify our area and even provide important infrastructure.""This donation from the Chamber will allow Future Focus to purchase bike racks and benches for Slatington's park located on Main and Second Streets," Breidinger said. "Proof that little by little, the world's a better place thanks to our volunteer organizations."Kissner said the park enhances the quality of life for borough residents.The park provides a multigenerational area for residents to gather and to celebrate our area's rich history and culture. Its location near four churches presents an extraordinary opportunity for community use.Uses include weddings, post wedding photographs, community ceremonies, celebrations, church fundraisers and many others. Additional parking and four entrances make the area easily accessible to all.Northern Lehigh Future Focus has printed historical walking tour brochures of the Northern Lehigh area. This includes a tour of the Slatington National Register Historic District.The park is located midway on the tour, and will provide an area for residents and visitors to stop and rest before continuing on the tour.The creation of Slatington Memorial Park on a vacant lot has helped to beautify and improve the area leading to and just outside of the business district.Locating a park in this location helps re-establish the district as a center of cultural and social activities in the heart of historic Slatington.Also located nearby is the Northern Lehigh Slate Heritage Trail. Lehigh County has completed a large stretch of the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Trail in Northern Lehigh County, which adjoins the Slate Heritage Trail just south of the Slatington Trailhead. These trails play an integral part in the revitalization of the area.The park provides a key link to the downtown (business district) from these trails.Phase I of the park project was completed in December 2010. This phase included the installation of a gazebo, performance area, benches and sidewalks. Additional elements including landscaping electric and lighting of the gazebo and landscaping were added in the spring of 2011. Every element added to the site increased its overall use.About the ChamberThe Chamber Foundation's mission is to improve every Main Street through targeted investments in revitalization programs, facade improvements, streetscape designs, urban planning, event promotion, sidewalk beautification and other enhancements to the physical appearance of our downtowns and urban centers.The 501c3 charitable arm of the Chamber was established in Bethlehem in 1985, originally to raise funds for holiday decorations.When the Chamber merged with other regional partners, it expanded the program to provide funding for projects throughout the entire Lehigh Valley.The grants have helped to fund $2 million in community revitalization projects in 18 municipalities across the Lehigh Valley.The Main Street Lehigh Valley grant guidelines require that half of the cost of the projects be funded by other community partners to promote public and private investment in Lehigh Valley downtowns and surrounding neighborhoods.