Website link dedicated to Trailhead Project

At the Venture Group meeting that was held Wednesday morning Jason Breidinger announced that the Greater Northern Lehigh Chamber of Commerce put a link on their website that is dedicated to the Slatington Trailhead Project that includes photos, information and updates on the project and sketches of the project. For more information, visit www.greaternorthernlehigh.com, and the link is on the left side of the page.

In other business, Pete Papay said that the Slatington Trailhead building project has hit a few setbacks, but he estimated that the building should be completed around Christmas and the entire project should be done by springtime.

"It is possible to get the carpenters in and out in a three week era. It depends on weather," Papay said. "We just got to wait and see how the timing fits. Once the roof's on, the bathrooms will probably be completed first."

The group discussed the project that would put Christmas lights on the Slate Heritage Trail. They have been talking to banks about taking out a loan for the project, and they talked to Rileighs Outdoor Decor, which is the company that would set up the lights, about loaning money for the project. No definite answers have come about the funding yet. Rileighs wanted an answer from the group by the end of November on whether or not the Venture Group will proceed with the project, but Rileighs extended that deadline until the end of January 2010. So, each representative of the Venture Group is to go back to the group that they represent and decide if they vote yes or no on the project. At the Venture Group's next meeting, which is scheduled for Jan. 27 at 8:30 a.m. in Slatington Borough Hall, there will be a final vote on whether or not the group will proceed with this project this year.

"If we don't have the backing from a bank, we shouldn't stick our neck out on this," Papay said.

Robert Berger updated the Venture Group on the Northern Lehigh Community Center project, which should be completed by the middle of next summer.

"We should know before Christmas if everything falls into place, and we could probably start by March," Berger said.

Gary Fedorcha said that the Borough of Slatington has received a grant for $20,000 for the old high school site (at the corner of Main and Second streets, Slatington) project. They still have to get the project approved by the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission so the start date of this project will be sometime in early spring of next year.

"We'll have benches, trees and a gazebo, and hopefully we can build around it," Fedorcha said. "This is phase one of a three phase project."

Fedorcha announced that there will be a Christmas tree lighting, which Santa Claus has been invited to, on the old high school property Dec. 4 at 6:30 p.m.