EASTON, Pa. – Easton City Council approved a proposal to review two city swimming pools Wednesday night at city hall.

Aquatic Facility Design will provide feasibility and assessment services for the Eddyside and Heil Pool facilities. Specifically, the firm will evaluate the current condition and future viability of each pool.

Heil is indefinitely closed pending a full rehabilitation project.

In promoting their candidacy, Aquatic said they will design a “best in class” swimming pool. “It will be designed to accommodate the life staging of its members and to maximize the overall experience for the community.”

Specific design changes could include changes in pool configuration, a beach entry addition, new wading pools, and a splash pad addition.

The contract will pay the company $55,000.

Easton Iron & Metal

The legislative body approved a resolution hiring Barry Isett & Associates for survey work related to the Easton Iron & Metal property.

The project involves the redevelopment of the former Easton Iron & Metal site at 1111-1113 Bushkill Drive and 1110-1112 Bushkill Drive. The proposal offered by VM Development Group involves a commercial and residential mix.

Last year the legislative body approved a deal with a consulting firm, HDR Engineering, to oversee a pending environmental cleanup at the site. The work is being funded through the Environmental Protection Agency’s Brownfield Cleanup Program grant, which requires a qualified environmental professional to perform the work. The deal is worth $171,590.

On Oct. 9, 2024, the city approved an agreement to sell the former site to Foundry Development Group. The deal involved the property located along Bushkill Drive for the purchase price of $1.5 million. The city agreed to provide Foundry Development with $1.4 million in financing and certain due diligence provisions.

One provision involved an environmental contingency period which requires Foundry to perform “certain environmental work” at the property. Such work was based, in part, on an environmental cleanup plan created by the City of Easton. Should “unforeseen work” materialize, the contract states the two sides will address them “in coordination.”

The surveying work is scheduled to be done this year, with construction set for next year, according to Mayor Salvatore Panto.

The Isett deal is worth $3,000.

Hooper House

Legislators authorized the department of community and economic development to apply for a grant to benefit the Hooper House.

The city is seeking $100,000 from the Keystone Historic Preservation Construction Grant. The funds would be utilized to complete historical preservation, weatherization and construction on the house’s exterior, which is located at 501 Northampton St.

Should the city receive the grant, a one-to-one match is required.

In a separate issue, city council approved a certificate of appropriateness for the Hooper House project. The city is restoring the home, which was built in 1761, after recently acquiring it. The property stands among the oldest surviving residences in Easton and is one of only a handful of remaining structures from the city’s colonial era. The home was once Col. Robert Lettis Hooper Jr.’s headquarters. Hooper was deputy quartermaster general during the American revolution.

The property, which has been long vacant and deemed blighted in 2012, requires extensive repairs including roof and window restoration, weatherization, and masonry work to prevent further deterioration. The initial phase of this restoration requires securing, stabilizing and weathering the existing structure. This will be achieved by installing a decorative wrap.

Following the restoration, the city maintains the property will serve as an educational resource that deepens public understanding of Easton’s Revolutionary War-era history.

Centre Square

City council approved an agreement for the installation of new seating walls in the northeast and northwest quadrants of Centre Square.

The project includes the removal of existing Belgian block and installation of new seating walls. The new seating walls are consistent with the updated design elements of Centre Square. Currently, the existing seating areas are in disrepair and do not coordinate with the newly installed improvements.