Hellertown Receives $117,000 Grant for Police Vehicles, Equipment

With public safety a concern for many Hellertown residents, it is no doubt welcome news that the borough’s police department will soon receive more than $117,000 for the purchase of new vehicles and equipment.

The funding will be in the form of a grant from the Commonwealth Financing Authority, which state Sen. Lisa Boscola (D-18) announced along with other grant awards on Friday.

A number of the awards will fund projects in Northampton County’s Slate Belt, including:

• Bangor Memorial Park Pool Splash Pad ($200,000) applied for by the Borough of Bangor
• Renovation of A Clean Slate, a community center in the Borough of Bangor ($112,068) applied for by Northampton County
• Weona Park Playground Phase I ($147,784) applied for the Borough of Pen Argyl
• Public Works Vehicle Purchase ($72,210) applied for by Stockertown Borough
• Milling Machine for Road Maintenance ($32,500) applied for by Tatamy Borough

“The Slate Belt has long been underfunded for important community development projects that will improve the quality of life,” Boscola said. “I am proud to have secured a half a million dollars for five priority projects for Slate Belt communities.”

Additional grants approved by the CFA that were announced by Boscola’s office include:

• Bethlehem Economic Development Corporation ($399,999) for the Bethlehem Steel SGO Building Annex Plaza
• Bethlehem Township ($63,771) for two police vehicles and ($33,585) for water rescue equipment
• Catasauqua Borough ($30,600) for a Community Pool Study
• Coplay Borough ($30,774) for Saylor Park rehabilitation
• Emmaus Borough ($25,458) for South 2nd Street reconstruction project
• Freemansburg Borough ($184,801) for The Sound of Community and Economic Development
• Northampton Borough ($101,400) for a garage door replacement at a fire station
• Tatamy Borough ($31,308) for Municipal Building repairs
• West Easton Borough ($155,100) for removal of two trestle bridges
• Whitehall Township ($76,375) for the Mickley Prydun Farm Restoration project
• Wilson Borough ($100,000) to assist with the construction of a new pool complex

In total, more than $1.9 million in grants was allocated to projects in the 18th district, which includes parts of Northampton and Lehigh counties.

The funds for them were generated by the state’s gaming facilities, a news release from Boscola’s office noted, and the grants were approved by the state Commonwealth Financing Authority Board.