Stage: Planning phase · Independent project
Frequently asked questions
Is this an official project?
No. Bethlehem Discovery Park is an independent community project. Planning phase. An independent plan; nothing is funded or built yet. It is at the first of the stages below.
Current stage: Planning phase
- Planning phase (current stage)
- Design
- Building
- Open
So far there is desk research, a feasibility brief and planning drawings. Nothing is engineered or funded, no landowner has confirmed a site in writing, and every permit and review the park would need is still marked “not requested”.
Nothing has been agreed in writing with the City or with any landowner or agency. A first question to the regional planning agency is prepared and on hold while the main location is being finalized. When this site names a place or an organization, it is because our research looked at it. That does not mean they know about this project or support it.
Where would it be?
Not confirmed yet. The main location is being finalized, and no landowner has confirmed a site in writing. This site does not say where it is. Our desk research looked closely at twelve candidate areas and screened six more out.
Several places that look empty are already taken. Dutch Springs was sold for warehouses. The former Martin Tower site is cleared for 1,085 apartments.
Our research recommended a first question to the regional planning agency, the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, rather than to any landowner. It asks what regional plans should guide whether, and where, a small pilot would make sense. That question is prepared and on hold while the main location is being finalized. The research also looked at places such as these:
Former Allentown State Hospital (“Northridge”)
A city agreement requires at least 70 acres to be kept for outdoor recreation. The land is privately owned, so a park piece could fit there only inside that open space, by partnership.
Gracedale county campus
A 365-acre county campus in Upper Nazareth Township that is being replanned now. Any size could fit, subject to the county’s plan. We could use public comment to ask that the plan keep room for a public green or family park.
Gall Farm Preserve (the county’s “Gall Road” land)
About 149 acres in Plainfield Township, about 12 miles straight-line from central Bethlehem (our estimate). The county bought it in 2003 “to be developed into a regional park” and is taking its own steps to develop it. So we treat it as a county project to learn from, not a target for this park.
Bethlehem’s own parks suit small pilots, not rides. See “Why not just improve existing parks?”
When will it open?
No date. Nothing is scheduled. The plan grows in steps, and each step must pass a decision gate before the next one can start.
- Listen and test Before any size is chosenSurveys, pop-up “Discovery Days” in existing parks, forming a nonprofit, inquiries in order and a market study. Gate 1 needs a willing landowner, community support, a market study, a credible operating budget, a reuse-first check (no existing park or facility already meets the need) and a written plan to clean up and restore the site if the pilot stops.
- Small Public Discovery Park (pilot) Scale APlay, gardens and a lawn, with no mechanical rides. Gate 2 needs visits and costs on target, a ride operations plan, insurance quotes and capital secured (the money to build it).
- Family Attraction Park Scale BAdds a carousel, a few gentle rides, a Discovery Barn and food. Gate 3 needs proven demand, sufficient land, an operating surplus (yearly income covers yearly running costs, with some left over) and an environmental review.
- Larger Regional Park (only if justified) Scale CIt would happen only if proven demand, sufficient land, an operating surplus and an environmental review all support it.
The roadmap shows rough timings for planning only. They are not promises.
What would it cost to visit?
Free to enter. Rides would be free whenever someone reliably gives or pays for them, and otherwise as low as possible: about $2–$4 a ride, the range other public carousels charge, with free-ride days.
Free every day
Entry to the grounds, playgrounds, gardens and paths. Drinking water, bottle refill and restrooms. Bring-your-own picnics are welcome.
Rides free when someone gives
Free whenever someone reliably gives or pays for them. Until then, kept as low as possible, with free-ride days.
For comparison, the Weona Park carousel in Pen Argyl charges $2 a ride. These are other parks’ prices and our goal, not offers.
Other ideas to test:
- Discounts for seniors and caregivers, with no questions about income. Scale B
- Community ride passes shared through libraries and schools, with no proof needed. Scale B
Can the rides really be free?
Scale BOnly if someone reliably pays for them. Rides would first appear in the Family Attraction Park.
Free rides have been done before. Broome County, New York has kept six historic carousels free for about a century (see the City of Binghamton page about its city carousels (opens in a new tab)), because the donor made that a condition of the gift.
Free rides here would need a donor, a public partner or an endowment (a fund that pays out money every year) that reliably covers the costs. Some costs remain whatever happens: ride insurance, state registration and inspections every 30 days, parts and maintenance, water, sewer and electricity, and trained ride operators aged 16 or older. Ride insurance would need coverage well above the state minimums of $100,000–$250,000 per incident.
Here is an arithmetic example, not a forecast: 300,000 visits × 1.2 rides per visit × $3 is about $1.08 million a year. That is roughly what a donor would need to give each year to make those rides free. A market study would have to supply the real numbers.
Safety never waits on a gift. Inspections, insurance and trained operators would be paid from reliable income, and every donated item the park depends on would have a backup plan.
Who is behind it?
David Fischbarg, an independent organizer. There is no nonprofit yet. Forming one is part of the first step. At first it would work through a fiscal sponsor, which is an existing nonprofit that manages money for a newer group.
There is no public contact address yet. A project address, not a personal one, will appear on this site once the project has its own domain.
Until then, this site carries the plan, the feasibility brief and its sources.
The park is one of a family of separate projects that share one purpose: Make essential things simpler, more accessible, less wasteful, and affordable or free wherever practical. Its sister projects include Bethlehem Connect (transportation) and the Ocean Discovery Center. The park depends on none of them. See the questions on Bethlehem Connect and the aquarium below.
Is it at SteelStacks?
No. SteelStacks was deliberately left out of the site search, as the organizer asked. No one at SteelStacks has been contacted, and SteelStacks is not involved.
We did look at the former Bethlehem Steel land east of SteelStacks. It was cleaned up to nonresidential standards, with recorded limits on its use. That makes it a poor fit for a place where children play on the ground.
Will there be an aquarium?
Scale B/COnly a small ocean corner, at most.
It could have fish, invertebrates and a touch tank, in about 800–2,000 square feet (75–185 square meters) including a life-support room.
A full aquarium needs very large volumes of water, buildings strong enough to hold them, life-support buildings, specialist staff around the clock and large budgets. That belongs to the separate Ocean Discovery Center project, which could run the corner with the park if both sides want it.
Our research found no aquarium within about an hour of Bethlehem.
Will Bethlehem Connect stop here?
No stop is planned. Bethlehem Connect is a separate project in our family, focused on transportation. It is not an official, studied or funded transit line, and no public program uses that name. The city’s 2015–2016 “BethConnects” trail study (completed 2016) is a different thing.
Scale COnly the largest version of the park keeps an optional placeholder for a possible future stop. It assumes no route or service, and the park does not depend on it.
The plan relies on what already exists: trails, shared parking and LANta’s frequent EBS bus lines. These are the Green Line and Blue Line, which run every 15 minutes or better between Allentown and Bethlehem. We prefer sites within ¼ to ½ mile of an EBS stop or a regional trail. LANta is cutting service in 2026 and expects more cuts in January 2027, so we assume no new routes. Nothing has been agreed in writing with LANta.
Are the rides safe?
Scale BNo ride has been chosen or engineered yet.
Pennsylvania regulates rides closely, and that is good for families. Under state rules:
- every ride is registered with the PA Department of Agriculture each year before it runs;
- a new type of ride needs a sealed statement from a Pennsylvania-licensed engineer;
- a state-certified inspector checks each ride before it opens and every 30 days;
- a death or serious injury must be reported to the state within 48 hours;
- ride operators must be 16 or older and run one ride at a time;
- rides must carry insurance at or above legal minimums. Those minimums date from the 1980s and are low, so we would plan for more.
We would choose a few low, quiet rides known for being reliable, run by trained, paid operators. Running rides is not a volunteer job.
These are plain summaries for planning. The PA Department of Agriculture, a licensed engineer, an insurance broker and legal counsel must confirm the final rules.
Is it accessible?
Accessibility is one of our four tests. The park should be usable by anyone, at any age and ability, and free entry to the grounds is part of that. These ideas would apply at every scale unless marked:
- Accessible routes to every attraction, restroom, food area and viewing spot. Paths would be firm, stable and slip-resistant, with gentle slopes.
- Inclusive playgrounds for ages 0–2, 2–5 and 5–12, with a calm, sensory-friendly corner. Scale A
- Sensory-friendly hours, quiet rooms and calm zones, sensory maps and loaner headphones.
- Rest benches and shade about every 200–300 feet, companion seating, family restrooms and an adult changing table.
- Plain-language signs in English and Spanish at least, with pictures, plus large-print and audio guides.
- An accessible chariot on the carousel, an accessible car on the train, and a Lookout Hill with a gentle spiral ramp. Scale B
The federal ADA 2010 Standards have specific rules for rides and play areas. For example, each new ride needs at least one wheelchair space, transfer seat or transfer device. We have not yet checked this against the official text. A qualified accessibility consultant would need to apply these rules before anything is designed.
What about traffic, noise and neighbors?
Neighbors matter. Worries about noise and traffic are among the top risks we list. Ideas to reduce them, at every scale unless marked:
- Planted buffers of about 25–100 feet between the park and homes, plus earth berms.
- A stage that faces away from homes, an evening curfew and sound limits at the property line.
- Low-noise rides, with quiet zones kept away from the rides and the stage. Scale B
- Shielded, warm-colored LED lights that dim after the curfew.
- Sites near frequent buses and trails, with shared parking, so fewer people need to drive.
- Talking with neighbors early.
Unknown The exact noise rules
For a site inside Bethlehem, Article 717 of the city’s ordinances would apply. Secondary summaries report that it treats unnecessary noise as a nuisance and sets no decibel limits. This is unconfirmed, because we have not yet read the official text.
Unknown Traffic
No traffic study has been done. Any real site would need one.
Does it compete with Dorney Park or Knoebels?
It is not meant to. Dorney Park is a large theme park about 20–25 minutes away, at about $60 or more a day. Knoebels has free entry and pay-per-ride tickets, and it is about 1 hour 40 minutes away.
The aim is an everyday, walk-in, low-cost family park close to home. Our research found nothing within about 15 minutes of Bethlehem that combines free entry, $2–$4 rides, a carousel or train, and large-scale inclusive nature play.
We want to add to what is already here. We would respect the Lehigh Valley Zoo’s children’s area, the historic rides at Weona Park and Bushkill Park, and the indoor learning at the Crayola Experience and the Da Vinci Science Center. None of them has been contacted, and none is involved.
Why not just improve existing parks?
We support that, but city parks suit small pilots, not rides. Bethlehem’s “40 in 10” parks plan is complete, and the city began putting it into action on March 18, 2026. More than 4,000 people took part. People asked for inclusive play, nature play and splash pads.
Small pilot pieces could line up with that plan, at every scale unless marked:
- Pop-up “Discovery Days” in existing parks.
- A small pilot kept out of flood-prone areas. Scale A
News reports say some city parks flood, including Sand Island, Monocacy and Saucon parks. This project is not meant to compete with the city’s plan for the same funds. Nothing has been agreed in writing with the City.
Learn more on the city’s “40 in 10” project page (opens in a new tab).
How can I help?
Tell us what you think. Right now that is the most useful help: what your family would love, what worries you, and which places we have missed. Ideas from children, teens, parents, grandparents, neighbors and people with disabilities matter most.
If the project grows, you could help in a role you choose and switch whenever you like.
No training needed
Garden helper, storyteller and local-history researcher, photographer, survey and feedback helper, event greeter, cleanup crew, translator and accessibility tester.
Trained roles
- First aid Every scale
- Maintenance lead Every scale
- Food handler Scale BNeeds food-safety certification.
- Ride operator Scale BA paid job for people 16 and older, after full training.
Nobody signs themselves off: someone else always signs off a trained role.
Volunteers add to paid staff and never replace safety roles. Everyone behind a design, document, discovery or accomplishment would be credited by name and role, in the way they choose.
Can another town use this plan?
Yes. We designed the method so other communities can adapt it: phases with decision gates, roles people choose, the site-screening criteria, test-fit plans and the honesty rules. This website is built so another town can copy it and swap in its own local details.
Any real plan always needs local engineering, environmental review, community participation, written permission from the landowner and compliance with local rules. The ride, food and permit rules on this site are Pennsylvania’s. Other places have their own.
The method could repeat in other Pennsylvania towns, across the United States, for example in the Midwest, and worldwide, with natural energy supplied region by region. This is an aim, not a plan or a promise: no other place is chosen, asked or funded.
Do you collect my data?
No. This site sets no cookies, runs no tracking or analytics, and has no forms or sign-ups. Its fonts are stored on the site itself, so your browser does not contact a font service.
Is anything for sale?
No. There are no tickets, passes, memberships or reservations, and this site does not ask for donations. Ride prices on this site are ranges seen at other public parks, or goals. They are not offers.
If anyone asks you for money in the name of Bethlehem Discovery Park, it is not from us.
Did we miss your question?
Questions, worries and corrections all help. The project has no public contact address yet; the contact page will show it once there is one.
See the contact page