Northern Lehigh Recreation Authority took a small step Tuesday toward its goal of making Slatington Trailhead a hiking hub.

Local officials gathered at the trailhead earlier this week, dedicating a small parcel of stone pavers, which will one day serve as a patio at the planned 16,000-square-foot Northern Lehigh Community Center.

The Venture Group, a group of volunteers formed by nonprofits in the Northern Lehigh area, spearheaded construction.

Phil Armstrong, Lehigh County executive, said he’s “so proud of the fact that this has come together.”

“It is such a key part of the D&L Trail,” he said.

Nancy Treskot, of the Venture Group, said the patio — along with other renovation projects the group will undertake for the center such as bathroom renovations — will be an improvement that anyone who visits the trailhead can benefit from.

“I can’t tell you enough how much we appreciate the donations from everyone,” Treskot said. “Lots of memories on this trail for a lot of people.”

The Slatington Trailhead is currently occupied by a covered pavilion and an adjacent bathroom building. Those two structures, which are just over a decade old, are now connected by the stone pavers, which will eventually be covered by netting.

“It’s really started to take shape and move forward,” Lindsay Taylor, executive director of the Northern Lehigh Recreation Authority, said of the effort to improve the Slatington Trailhead.