Northhampton News

City of Bethlehem issued the following announcement on Jan. 28.

Friendship Park began its history in 1872 as “Tank Park,” the site of an early water tower designed to supply water to nearby neighborhoods. Over the years the park served as a cow pasture, a marketplace, and then finally a recreational space for residents of the City. In 1965, the water tank was demolished and in the 1970s the park was renovated and renamed Friendship Park. In 2019 small repairs and restoration work to its structures and fences occurred. The Community Action Development Corporation of Bethlehem (CADCB) and the City of Bethlehem collaborated on the initial revitalization of Friendship Park and was awarded $30,000 from the Keystone Communities program to build a playground. In 2019 the City completed the Northside 2027 Planning Study where four distinct topic committees were recommended to carry out implementation of the plan and on page 43 there is a page dedicated to the revitalization of Friendship Park. The Northside 2027 Public Realm Committee, organized in 2021 by CADCB and the City, determined a redesign was needed and that the project requires a professional consultant having expertise in urban park design. Again, CADCB and the City of Bethlehem are working together and are seeking a qualified and experienced consultant to assist in the completion of the Friendship Park Redesign Planning Study located within the Northside 2027 Neighborhood. The Study will serve as the foundation for future redevelopment activities within and around the Park. Proposals shall include neighborhood engagement activities, recommended park elements, redesign concepts, a preferred design concept, phasing schedule, projected design and construction and equipment costs for each phase.

Original source can be found here.