A mural depicting Catasauqua and elements of its history has been taking shape on a wall of a Pine Street building in recent weeks, thanks to the efforts of artist Matt Halm and his assistant Christopher Kosztyo. Many area residents have stopped to view the work in progress as a brick was transoformed into a colorful welcome at the borough's Pine Street Bridge gateway.

On Oct. 13, the artists officially presented the finished product to the borough at a dedication ceremony.

The project was completed under a grant program designed to revitalize the gateways to Catasauqua.

"We have lights scheduled to arrive later in the month, but we will need to wait on the borough to schedule the installation," said Kimberly Brubaker, President of the Catasauqua Main Street program committee which is a participant in the Borough Business Revitalization Program.

The new lights will be similar to the art deco designed lights that now grace the revamped Pine Street Bridge.

The mural is painted on a building owned by Prakash and Eela Thakrar. The Thakrars donated the cost to prepare the building and the paint for the base coat on the brick wall.

"It almost becomes an open-air gallery," said David Molony, who owns Lehigh Valley Acupuncture Centre on Front Street.

Six panels to the right of the main mural represent significant events in the borough's history.

"We intend to get a good photograph of the mural and get it onto postcards and some memorabilia," said Sharon Davis, the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce representative to the borough's Main Street program initiative.

In her dedication speech, Davis noted that the theme "Revitalization through the Arts" was first proposed by Brubaker, who is also a local artist.

"We started with a program to paint fire hydrants with unique designs crafted by local students. Now we have this mural to greet people as they cross the bridge," said Davis. Main Street, a Catasauqua's business district improvement initiative under the auspices of the Borough Business Revitalization Program, will be looking for contributions from residents and business owners to continue the program. The Main Street improvement plan calls for more streetscaping in the business areas including street lighting upgrades.

At the dedication ceremony, Paulette Gilfoil, Lehigh County's Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Coordinator, presented a $36,000 grant to the borough. The Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce kicked in another $4,000.

Catasauqua Mayor Barbara Schlegel also spoke at the dedication.

"This mural represents the kind of cooperative effort we need with our local businesses to make these improvements," she said.