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BethlehemDiscovery ParkCommunity project

Stage: Planning phase · Independent project

Roadmap

How the park could grow one careful step at a time, what each step must prove, and how it could be run and paid for. Nothing here is scheduled, funded or built.

Where things stand

Current stage: Planning phase

  1. Planning phase (current stage)
  2. Design
  3. Building
  4. Open

So far there is desk research, a feasibility brief (version 1.3, October 19, 2026) and planning drawings. The main location is being finalized, and no landowner has confirmed a site in writing. Nothing has been agreed in writing with the City or with any landowner or agency. A first email to the regional planning agency is drafted and has not been sent; it waits for the owner’s go-ahead. Nothing has been engineered, funded, built or scheduled.

Our own planning choice is to start small and let each step earn the next.

On this page

Phases and decision gates

The plan has four phases. Between them are gates: checks the project must pass before the next phase can start. If a gate is not passed, the project waits, changes or stops there.

The years are only examples. Nothing is scheduled. Phase 0 happens before any park size is chosen.

  1. Phase 0 · Listen and test

    Before any size is chosenYears 0–2 (example)

    The work

    • Listen to families, seniors and neighbors, and run surveys
    • Hold pop-up “Discovery Days” in existing parks
    • Form a nonprofit, with a fiscal sponsor at first
    • Make the inquiries in order, starting with a regional question that targets no site
    • Draft the structure of an operating budget
    • Commission a market study

    Gate 1: must pass before Phase 1

    • 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)
    • A written plan to clean up and restore the site if the pilot stops

  2. Phase 1 · Small Public Discovery Park (pilot)

    Scale AYears 2–5 (example)About 5–15 acres

    The work

    • Inclusive playgrounds, a native meadow and gardens, a walking loop and a lawn for music, films and seasonal events
    • Restrooms, first aid and free drinking water
    • No mechanical rides

    Gate 2: must pass before Phase 2

    • Visits and costs on target
    • A ride operations plan
    • Insurance quotes
    • Capital secured (the money to build it)

  3. Phase 2 · Family Attraction Park

    Scale BYears 5–10 (example)About 20–35 acres

    The work

    • A carousel
    • A few gentle family rides
    • A Discovery Barn for science and local history
    • Food with clear allergen labels

    Gate 3: must pass before Phase 3

    • Proven demand
    • Sufficient land
    • An operating surplus (yearly income covers yearly running costs, with some left over)
    • An environmental review

  4. Phase 3 · Larger Regional Park (only if justified)

    Scale CYear 10 or later (example)About 50–120 acres

    What it could add

    • A nature preserve and trails, a four-season Discovery Hall, an amphitheater and a festival meadow
    • An optional placeholder for a Bethlehem Connect stop, a separate project (no route or service assumed)

    No gate after this phase. Scale C itself would happen only if proven demand, sufficient land, an operating surplus and an environmental review all support it.

Why Gate 2 exists

Typical park systems cover about 26% of their running costs from revenue. That is the median in the NRPA 2026 Agency Performance Review, a national report on park agencies (27.2% in 2025). A plan that depends on rides paying most of the bills must prove it with a market study and the pilot’s real numbers. That is why rides come only after Gate 2.

NRPA 2026 Agency Performance Review (opens in a new tab)

Where Phase 0 would start

The first inquiry the research recommends is a regional question to the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, naming no site. It is prepared and on hold while the main location is being finalized. The full order is under Next inquiries on the Possible Locations page.

Keeping rides safe

Pennsylvania regulates rides closely, and that is good for families. Rides would come only in Phase 2, after the pilot passes Gate 2. A carousel and a few family rides are manageable with professional operators. Running them is not a volunteer activity.

What the state requires, in short

Scale B
  • 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 professional engineer.
  • A state-certified Qualified Inspector signs a sworn report before a ride opens and every 30 days after.
  • Any death or serious injury or illness is reported to the state within 48 hours.
  • Ride operators are at least 16 years old and run one ride at a time.
  • Insurance must at least meet the legal minimums. Those minimums are far below what a broker will recommend.

Read the rules yourself

Read how ride safety would work on the Experiences page

For planning only

These are plain summaries. Final requirements must be confirmed by the PA Department of Agriculture, a Pennsylvania-licensed engineer, an insurance broker and legal counsel. We offer no ride or structural engineering here.

Weather plan

Our rule would be to close rides and water features at the first thunder, in line with National Weather Service guidance (fact-checked). People would stay in a fully enclosed building until at least 30 minutes after the last thunder. Picnic shelters, tents and sheds are not safe.

National Weather Service lightning safety tips (opens in a new tab)
National Weather Service toolkit for outdoor venues (PDF) (opens in a new tab)

How it could be run

We recommend a partnership between a public body and a nonprofit. Each part has a clear job. Nothing has been agreed in writing with the City or with any landowner or agency. This site carries no partner logos.

Public landowner or partner

A city, county or authority.

  • Owns or leases the land
  • Applies for the state and federal grants that only public bodies can get
  • May pay for park maintenance

A future independent nonprofit

A future Pennsylvania nonprofit seeking 501(c)(3) charity status. Until then, a fiscal sponsor (an existing nonprofit) could hold funds.

  • Raises funds
  • Runs programs
  • Publishes its budgets

Paid operations

Staff and contractors.

  • Paid staff for rides, maintenance, safety and education
  • Paid jobs for teens 16 and older, and non-ride roles for ages 14–15 within federal hours rules (an idea to test)
  • Staffed guest services, lighting and closing hours, first aid and a lost-child plan (an idea to test)
  • Certified outside inspectors
  • Food run by a contracted vendor or a business that puts its earnings back into the community

Community advisory council

People who use and live near the park.

Members could include:

  • Youth
  • Seniors
  • Disability advocates
  • Neighbors
  • Schools

Why a public partner is needed

The biggest state building grants, RACP and the gaming Local Share Account, accept only public applicants. A nonprofit can reach the LSA only through a sponsor. A nonprofit can apply directly to a few programs, such as DCNR C2P2, GTRP and NAP tax credits. Terms are in the grants table below.

Roles you choose and real credits

Help in the role you like, the way you might pick a position in a game, and switch whenever you want. This follows a shared way of handling roles and credits across our family of projects. Volunteers add to paid staff and never replace safety roles.

Quick-entry roles, no training needed

  • Garden helper
  • Storyteller and local-history researcher
  • Photographer
  • Survey and feedback helper
  • Event greeter
  • Cleanup crew
  • Translator
  • Accessibility tester

Trained roles

  • First aidEvery scale
  • Maintenance leadEvery scale
  • Food handlerScale BNeeds food-safety certification.
  • Ride operatorScale BA paid job for people 16 and older, under Pennsylvania rules. Needs the ride maker’s training and ASTM F770 training (the industry standard for running and caring for rides), then supervised days and a sign-off.

Nobody signs themselves off: someone else always signs off a trained role.

Safety roles such as ride operator are paid staff jobs (see How it could be run).

Records and credits

Stats and hours, never ranked

Stats for each role and the hours someone worked come from confirmed records. They are shown to that person, never ranked and never used for awards.

Discoveries

Examples of what could count: a bird species in the meadow, a local-history find or a better way to run the carousel line. Each discovery record keeps where and when, the evidence, and who verified it.

Real credits

Everyone behind a design, document, discovery or accomplishment is credited by name and role. A project lead verifies each credit, and it is kept permanently. Each person chooses how their name appears.

Project OS: Free coordination software for community projects. Can track this project's permits, contacts, roles and credits. The park does not depend on it.

See youth programs and volunteering on the Nature & Learning page

Kindness first: paying for it honestly

Our starting point is kindness: money should never be the reason someone sits out. But something is only free when someone reliably gives it or pays for it, so we name who before we promise anything free.

Kindness covers a lot

Volunteers in roles they choose, donated plants, materials and equipment, local food partners, and free events and programs.

Free rides are possible

Scale B

Broome County, New York has run six historic carousels free for about a century, under a donor’s condition. A Bethlehem version would need a donor, a public partner or an endowment that reliably covers the costs that remain.

City of Binghamton carousels page (opens in a new tab)

Some costs remain whatever happens

Each of these needs a named giver or payer:

  • Ride insurance. State minimums are $100,000–$250,000 per incident, and real policies are far higher.
  • Yearly state ride registration, and a sworn report (an affidavit) from a state-certified Qualified Inspector before a ride opens and every 30 days after.
  • Parts and maintenance from the ride makers.
  • Water, sewer and electricity.
  • Trained, reliable ride operators aged 16 or older for every hour a ride runs.

If no one covers the rides yet

Rides would be free whenever someone reliably gives or pays for them. Until then, they would stay as low as possible: about $2–$4 a ride, the range other public carousels charge, with free-ride days. We would say plainly why rides are not free yet, and what would make them free. These are goals and comparisons. Nothing is for sale.

What free rides could cost a donor

An arithmetic example, not a forecast. If a park had 300,000 visits a year, with 1.2 rides per visit at $3 a ride, rides would bring in about $1.08 million a year. That is also roughly what a donor would need to give each year to make those rides free. Each $0.50 change in the ride price moves that total by about $180,000. Each change of 0.1 rides per visit moves it by about $90,000. A market study must provide real numbers.

Four money rules

  1. Rule 1: Reliable money pays core costs

    Staff, maintenance, insurance, safety and utilities are paid from earned income plus committed public support.

  2. Rule 2: Gifts welcome, with a backup for anything critical

    Gifts and volunteers are welcome everywhere. Every critical donated item has a backup plan to borrow, rent or buy it, so a late gift cannot stall the project. A donor can make rides free or pay for a whole season. Core safety (inspections, insurance and trained operators) never depends on a gift arriving on time.

  3. Rule 3: Grants build, reserves sustain

    Before each phase opens, set aside an operating reserve and a fund for maintenance and replacement.

  4. Rule 4: No income tests

    Money is a tool, never the gate. Everyone gets the same free access and the same prices whatever their income, and nobody has to show proof of income or benefits. Discounts go by age or caregiving only.

Ways to keep it affordable

  • Free entry every day to the grounds, playgrounds, gardens, paths and restrooms, with free drinking water and bottle refill
  • Low-price basic food, and bring-your-own picnics welcome
  • Rides free whenever someone reliably gives or pays for them; otherwise as low as possible: about $2–$4 a ride, the range other public carousels charge, with free-ride daysScale B
  • Senior and caregiver discounts, with no questions about incomeScale B
  • Community ride passes shared through libraries and schools, with no proof neededScale B
  • Ride bundles and a yearly family ride passScale B

No one would be asked about their income or to show proof of benefits, and everyone would get the same free access and prices whatever their income. We studied Museums for All, where people with SNAP/EBT cards pay from nothing to $5 at more than 1,600 museums, and did not adopt it because it requires showing a benefits card. About Museums for All (opens in a new tab)

Who could pay or give

Ideas to test, not a forecast. Core costs would need reliable, recurring money. Gifts would pay only for extras, each with a backup.

Earned by the park

Money visitors would pay for extras, never for entry to the grounds:

  • Ride tickets and ride bundles, while rides cannot be free yet
  • Food and drink
  • Pavilion, party and room rentals
  • Camps and programs
  • Event fees
  • A small shop
  • Optional paid parking on peak event days only

Public support

From a public landowner or partner:

  • Park maintenance support, if the land is publicly owned
  • Capital grants for building

Given

From people and groups who choose to give:

  • Memberships and ride passes
  • Yearly giving
  • Program sponsorships, with no public spaces named after products
  • A long-term endowment

What an operating budget would have to cover

There is no operating budget yet. This structure lists what one would have to cover and who could pay for each part, so professionals can estimate it before Gate 1. It adds no new dollar figures.

A typical public park system earns about 26% of its running costs (the NRPA 2026 median). If this park did as well, about three-quarters of its running budget would still need a public partner or other reliable, recurring support. NRPA’s median of $9,470 per acre describes ordinary parkland and leaves out rides, ride operators, ride insurance and inspections, so it cannot size this park’s budget.

AssumptionA placeholder structure, to be estimated by professionals.

Show the 7 cost categories, by park size

  • Staff

    Scale A
    Paid core staff for grounds, maintenance, guest services, first aid and programs. Volunteers add to them and never replace them.
    Scale B adds
    Trained, paid ride operators aged 16 or older for every hour a ride runs (at least one per ride, plus the attendants the maker requires); a ride-maintenance lead; food service or a concession.
    Scale C adds
    Staff for the four-season Discovery Hall, amphitheater events and the nature preserve.
    Who could pay
    Park income and a public partner budget

  • Insurance

    Scale A
    General liability and property.
    Scale B adds
    Ride liability well above the state minimums of $100,000–$250,000 per incident. A broker sets the real limits.
    Scale C adds
    Cover for larger events.
    Who could pay
    Park income and a public partner budget, never a gift alone

  • Inspections and registration

    Scale A
    Playground safety inspections by certified inspectors (NRPA CPSI); a splash pad permit if one is built ($10 per unit).
    Scale B adds
    Yearly state ride registration; Qualified Inspector reports before opening and every 30 days; daily checklists and records.
    Scale C adds
    More rides, so more inspections.
    Who could pay
    Park income and a public partner budget

  • Utilities

    Scale A
    Water, sewer and electricity for restrooms, lighting and refill stations; more with a splash pad.
    Scale B adds
    Rides, the food pavilion and the Discovery Barn.
    Scale C adds
    Heating and cooling for the four-season Discovery Hall.
    Who could pay
    Park income and a public partner budget. Solar may lower electricity bills, counted as a bonus only

  • Maintenance and replacement reserve

    Scale A
    Play equipment, surfacing, paths, gardens and restrooms.
    Scale B adds
    Ride parts, manufacturer service and off-season overhauls.
    Scale C adds
    Buildings and larger grounds.
    Who could pay
    Set aside before each phase opens: grants build, reserves sustain

  • Programs

    Scale A
    Nature and history programs, free events and sensory-friendly hours.
    Scale B adds
    Camps, school trips and Discovery Barn programs.
    Scale C adds
    Hall and amphitheater programs.
    Who could pay
    Program fees where fair; gifts and program sponsorships for extras, each with a backup

  • Administration

    Scale A
    Bookkeeping, payroll, nonprofit filings, charitable registration, any required reviewed or audited statements, and the website.
    Scale B adds
    Handling ride passes and payments.
    Scale C adds
    A larger organization.
    Who could pay
    Park income and a public partner budget

What must be known before Gate 1

Gate 1 asks for a credible operating budget. That needs:

  1. A professional estimate of running costs for Scale A, and an outline for Scale B: staffing by season and hour, utilities for the real site, a maintenance schedule, and inspection and registration costs.
  2. A first indication from an insurance broker. Formal quotes come at Gate 2.
  3. Whether a public partner would take part, and which costs it would carry, in writing.
  4. Market study numbers for park income: visits, rides per visit and spending.
  5. A clear split between core costs and extras, with a reliable payer for every core cost and a backup for every critical gift.
  6. Target sizes for the operating reserve and the maintenance and replacement fund, set by professionals.

Community benefits we would aim for

The roadmap sheet above lists these benefits. They are aims for a future park and its future nonprofit, not promises. None is funded or adopted, and each depends on the money rules above.

Free every day

Assumption

Grounds, playgrounds, gardens, paths, water refill and restrooms, free every day.

Needs reliable, recurring money for core costs (money rule 1).

Free or low-cost rides

Assumption

Rides free whenever someone reliably gives or pays for them, as Broome County, New York has done with six carousels for about a century. Otherwise as low as possible: about $2–$4 a ride, the range other public carousels charge, with free-ride days.

Precedents and prices come from our research on public carousels.

Free days and discounts

Assumption

Scheduled free-ride days for everyone; senior and caregiver discounts; sensory-friendly hours.

No questions about income and no proof of benefits (money rule 4). We studied Museums for All and did not adopt it, because it requires showing a benefits card.

Roles you choose

Assumption

Switch roles any time; most need no training. Trained roles are never self-signed, and ride operator is a paid job for people 16 and older. Real credits; hours never ranked.

From the shared roles kit. The minimum operator age of 16 is a state rule.

Learning

Assumption

School field trips, nature and local-history programs, and citizen science.

No school or museum has been contacted.

Health and environment

Assumption

Shade, cooling and places to be active; native habitat and stormwater gardens.

Planting would follow published native-plant guidance (fact-checked).

Local economy

Assumption

Local food vendors with clear ingredient and allergen labels, and a small, affordable shop.

No vendor has been contacted. Written allergen notice for unpackaged food is required by the Food Code.

Open books

Assumption

Publish budgets, a public safety summary each ride season, and accessibility audits every year.

Not required by law; the future nonprofit’s board would have to adopt it. Reporting serious ride incidents to the state within 48 hours is required; a public summary would be voluntary.

Grants that could help build it

These programs help pay for building (capital) costs, not running costs. A match is money the applicant raises to go with the grant. Terms are as reported in October 2026 and must be rechecked. We have not applied to any of them, and naming one does not mean anyone has agreed.

Cost placeholders

These ranges give a rough sense of size. Each larger scale includes the smaller one. The Scale A and B ranges were lowered in the second research round after we found Pennsylvania destination playgrounds costing $0.4 million to $1 million.

  • Phase 0 · Pop-up Discovery Days (before any size is chosen)

    Placeholder range
    About $50,000–$300,000 per season

  • Phase 1 · Scale A · Small Public Discovery Park (pilot)

    Placeholder range
    About $4 million–$12 million

  • Phase 2 · Scale B · Family Attraction Park, including A

    Placeholder range
    About $20 million–$65 million

  • Phase 3 · Scale C · Larger Regional Park (only if justified), including B

    Placeholder range
    About $60 million–$150 million or more

Placeholders, not estimates

These ranges leave out land, financing and inflation. They rest on the published examples below plus assumed unit costs. A professional cost estimator must replace them.

The gap between a used carousel (hundreds of thousands of dollars) and a signature pavilion (about $7–9 million) is the main reason Scale B’s range is so wide.

Published reference points

What other places reported spending. These are other projects’ costs, shown only to set the placeholders.

  • Fact-checked means checked in the second research round.
  • Search extract means first round, not re-checked.
Show the 11 published reference points

Permits and reviews needed

As of October 19, 2026, every permit and review below is marked “Not requested”. Who decides depends on the site, which is not confirmed yet. Each stays “Not requested” until there is a written record.

  • Land use agreement (purchase, lease or license)

    Who decides
    Landowner (to be determined)
    Status
    Not requested

  • Zoning and land development

    Who decides
    Host municipality (planning commission, zoning hearing board, council)
    Status
    Not requested

  • Ride registration, engineer statement, monthly inspections

    Who decides
    PA Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Ride & Measurement Standards
    Status
    Not requested

  • Splash pad (public bathing place permit)

    Who decides
    PA Department of Health (plus local plan review where required)
    Status
    Not requested

  • Food licensing

    Who decides
    Bethlehem Health Bureau inside the city; elsewhere PA Department of Agriculture, unless the host municipality runs its own health department
    Status
    Not requested

  • Stormwater and erosion control

    Who decides
    PA DEP and the county conservation district (thresholds to confirm)
    Status
    Not requested

  • Building permits (Uniform Construction Code)

    Who decides
    Municipal or third-party code official
    Status
    Not requested

  • Floodplain permits, if any floodplain land

    Who decides
    Municipality and the FEMA program
    Status
    Not requested

  • Highway occupancy permit, if access is from a state road

    Who decides
    PennDOT
    Status
    Not requested

  • Nonprofit formation, 501(c)(3) status, charitable registration

    Who decides
    PA Department of State; IRS; PA BCO (the state office for charitable registration)
    Status
    Not requested

Top risks

Naming risks early helps us plan for them. These are the ones we see now, and how we would reduce each one.

  • No land available on workable terms

    How we would reduce it
    Start with pop-ups and partnerships with existing parks. Follow several land leads at the same time.

  • Flood-prone sites, which are common along local creeks

    How we would reduce it
    Keep rides and buildings out of floodways (the channel and nearby land that carry floodwater). Use flood-prone land only for meadows and trails.

  • Running at a loss each year

    How we would reduce it
    Decision gates, cautious visitor estimates, reserve funds and rules that keep core costs on reliable income.

  • Ride incidents

    How we would reduce it
    Professional operators, certified inspections, careful ride choices, training, and openness about any problem.

  • Neighbor concerns about noise and traffic

    How we would reduce it
    Talk with neighbors early. Use planted buffers, evening curfews and low-noise rides. Favor sites people can reach by bus and trail.

  • Leaning too much on volunteers or donations

    How we would reduce it
    Every critical gift would have a backup (money rule 2 above), core staff would be paid, and every core cost would have a reliable payer (see the operating budget structure above).

  • Competing with or hurting existing attractions

    How we would reduce it
    Offer what is missing nearby and avoid copying what others already do well. Look for ways to work with Bushkill Park, Weona Park and local museums. None has been contacted.

  • Clean-energy tax credit deadlines

    How we would reduce it
    Treat solar tax credits as a bonus only. The federal direct-payment option applies only if solar is running by the end of 2027 (reported).

  • Giving a false impression of official backing or partners

    How we would reduce it
    Clear notices on every page, no logos, no ticket sales and no countdowns.

  • Growing toward a full aquarium

    How we would reduce it
    A full aquarium belongs to the separate Ocean Discovery Center project, which would need its own feasibility study. The park would host at most a small ocean corner with fish and invertebrates.

Forming a nonprofit

No nonprofit exists yet. Until one does, a fiscal sponsor could hold funds for the project. These are the steps and fees we found, checked in the second research round unless marked single source.

Show the 4 steps, fees and rules

Name check before forming anything

  • We found no park or business called “Discovery Park” in Bethlehem.
  • A federal trademark, “DISCOVERY PARK OF AMERICA,” was reported to cover museum services, held by an out-of-state nonprofit. No source link was kept, so this stays unknown until a formal trademark search is run.
  • Bethlehem was reported to have once had a children’s museum called the “Discovery Center of Science and Technology.” No source link was kept, so this is unknown too.
  • Formal name searches with the PA Department of State and the USPTO, the federal trademark office, are still to do. We will keep an alternative name ready.

Next steps: what is decided and what is still open

This is the one list of open questions on this site. Other pages link here. The decisions below about the project were made by the owner, or at the owner’s request. None of them is a permit or an agreement from any agency or landowner.

Decided

  • The overall direction: Phase 0, then Scale A, then Scale B after its gate, and Scale C only if justified, plus this website and the final drawings. This is the owner’s direction for the project; no agency or landowner has agreed to anything.
  • The visual style of the website and the planning sheets.
  • The public contact for the website.
  • Kindness first: free is the goal, including rides, and something is only free when someone reliably gives or pays for it.
  • Separate projects: Bethlehem Connect and the Ocean Discovery Center stay separate. The park keeps only a placeholder for a future stop and a small ocean corner.
  • Ways of working: Project OS conventions, the regional “organize by function” lens, and the website’s tools and hosting.
  • Wording settled with the owner on October 18, 2026: the ride price wording, the list of decision gates, and Gall Farm Preserve as a reference only, not a target.
  • Decided on October 19, 2026, by Claude, the AI assistant, when the owner asked it to make these choices: no income tests, so everyone gets the same free access and prices and nobody has to show proof of income or benefits; and two more conditions for Gate 1, a reuse-first check and a written plan to clean up and restore the site if the pilot stops.
  • Also decided on October 19, 2026, the same way: a license for others to reuse this work, MIT for the code and CC BY 4.0 for the writing and drawings, which applies once the license files (LICENSE and LICENSE-CONTENT.md) are in the project files, added by the owner in a separate pull request (the project files stay private for now, so reuse also needs access); the public stage name (now “Planning phase”, see the next item); and the list of related projects keeps only the projects the park has an optional link with.
  • Also decided on October 19, 2026, the same way, on the owner’s direction: the public wording “Planning phase”. The main location is being finalized, nothing is funded or built yet, and every permit and review stays “Not requested” until there is a written record.

Still open

Owner decisions still to make

  • The first question to the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission. It is prepared and on hold while the main location is being finalized.

Best answered by records requests or calls, not web searches

Calls happen only with the owner’s OK.

  • Which Bethlehem zoning districts allow outdoor commercial recreation (by reading Section 1305.01 directly).
  • The official text of the city noise ordinance (Article 717).
  • The acreage and FEMA flood zones of the Bethlehem Golf Club and Sand Island (county maps and the FEMA Flood Map Service Center).
  • Which state ride class a carousel falls under (7 Pa. Code Chapter 139, PA Department of Agriculture).
  • Formal business-name and trademark searches with the PA Department of State and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
  • Operating cost per rider and current ride income for public carousels (Montgomery Parks, Spokane Parks, Pen Argyl).
  • The full official text of the federal accessibility rules for rides and play areas (ADA Sections 234 and 240, U.S. Access Board).
  • Electricity: which utility serves Louise W. Moore Park and Housenick; Met-Ed (FirstEnergy Pennsylvania) steps for new service and solar; electric capacity at any real site.
  • Access: the walking distance from each candidate area to the nearest EBS bus stop.
  • Missing sources: Christkindlmarkt and Lehigh Valley Zoo visitor counts; the total cost of the “40 in 10” parks plan; links to two 2022 Hempfield articles; official guidance pages for IBCCES and DarkSky International; a source for the Little Bushkill Creek stream listing.

Gall Farm Preserve, for reference only (not a target)

  • What the county has built or scheduled there since 2024.
  • Whether the county’s 2019 master site development plan is still current.
  • Deed and grant terms.
  • Parcel boundaries. The only location point found comes from a third-party listing.
  • Preserved-farmland or Agricultural Security Area status.
  • Whether Plainfield Township is still in LANta’s Flex Route 502 zone.
  • Which electric utility serves it.

See the inquiries we would make, in order

Reuse this method anywhere

Other communities can adapt this method. This website keeps its local details, such as the name, contact, stage, place-specific text and site data, in its content and data files, not in the page code. Another town would still need its own research, local rules and local review.

What can be reused

  • Phases and gates: start small, and pass a gate before each next phase begins.
  • Roles and credits: roles people choose, stats that are never ranked, and permanent credits verified by a project lead.
  • Checklists: the permits and reviews needed, and the costs that remain and the money rules, ready to fill in with local rules.
  • Test-fit plans: drawings that check whether the pieces fit on a made-up sample parcel and add up the area needed, compared with published sizes elsewhere.

Site-screening criteria

  • Land availability / control
  • Size fit
  • Environmental constraints (flood, wetlands, contamination, habitat)
  • Road, transit & trail access
  • Utilities likely available
  • Noise, neighbors & traffic
  • Fit with adopted plans / deed terms

Each is scored 3 favorable, 2 workable, 1 difficult, 0 blocking, or unknown. Scores are never added up, because one blocking factor can outweigh several good ones.

Replicate this: the nine-part kit

  1. Status page: the honest public stages, what the status page always shows, and permits that start “Not requested”.
  2. Site dossier: how to find and assess places fairly, with criteria, labels and areas instead of pins.
  3. Program modules: what each park size contains, as modules, and the gates between sizes.
  4. Regulatory pack: kinds of permits and reviews that usually apply, each marked “Check local rules”.
  5. Transit and access: safe walking, cycling, bus and trail access; transit links stay placeholders.
  6. Energy and materials: reuse, waste, cleanup, water and energy.
  7. Partners: potential, contacted and agreed, starting from an empty table.
  8. Budget and risks: how to structure budgets, who pays, the costs that remain and a risk register.
  9. Recognition kit: roles people choose, training and credits, with hours never ranked.

The kit is in the project’s files, at docs/replication-kit. It carries no sites, partners or people from this project. The only numbers from this project are the example size ranges in part 3 and the walking distance in part 5, each marked as this project’s. The license is MIT for the code and CC BY 4.0 for the writing and drawings, and it applies once the license files are in the project files, added by the owner in a separate pull request. The project files are private for now, so the kit can be reused once they are public or shared.

What stays local, checked there

  • The land and who owns it
  • Permits, reviews and laws
  • Climate and weather
  • Language
  • Currency and units

Rules for every copy

  • Place details live in the settings file, the other content files and the data files, so the page code does not change.
  • Templates carry no people, contacts or private data.
  • A copy starts in its own planning phase, with every permit and review “Not requested” and an empty partner table.

Places for this idea

  • Bethlehem, Pennsylvania (Planning phase): The first place: a small pilot of about 5–15 acres. The main location is being finalized.

    • Bethlehem Connect: an optional placeholder for a future stop
    • Ocean Discovery Center: a small ocean corner at most
    • Energy & Logistics Hubs: natural power could come through a regional hub
    • Aethon: the same mission; methods shared, never data

Adding a place means adding one entry to this list, plus that place's own research, local rules and local review. No other place is listed until it is real or chosen.

Beyond Bethlehem: an aim, not a plan

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.

Physical plans always need local work

Any real plan needs local engineering, environmental review, community participation, written permission from the landowner and compliance with local and state rules.

Help shape the roadmap

Tell us which step worries you, what we have missed, or which role you would enjoy. Ideas from children, teens, parents, grandparents, neighbors and people with disabilities matter most.

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