The sun is always shining in Whitehall Township.

At the Whitehall Area Chamber of Commerce Mayoral Luncheon Feb. 14, Whitehall Mayor Edward D. Hozza Jr. ended his speech with those words. The quote followed what he called a "surprise announcement" about which he said he was very proud.

"I'm happy to announce that the township will be purchasing the 10-acre Prydon farm in Hokendauqua next to the IRT trail and the Hokey pool," he said. "It will remain open space for perpetuity."

For those who walk the IRT, the farm includes an old white house that is boarded up and can be seen from the stretch of trail near the pool.

The purchase will be funded by a Green Futures grant from Lehigh County and a grant from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, he said.

"We're very happy about that," Hozza said. "So many times we hear that Whitehall is just malls and MacArthur Road."

The township is also negotiating with the Tate family to acquire the Tate farm, located next to the Prydon farm.

The family would like to hold onto the property for a few more years, Hozza said, but the township has made its interest in the property known for when the family is ready to sell.

Hozza also encouraged the audience to take up several causes to benefit the entire region. One of those is the widening of Route 22, which could become a reality if state legislators support recommendations to increase PennDOT funding by $1.4 billion yearly.

"Widening of Route 22 needs to be our number one unified priority in the Valley," Hozza said. "There are naysayers who are saying that if we widen Route 22 we're going to increase sprawl. Well, I'm sorry, but I don't know where we're going to get sprawl in Catasauaua Borough or Coplay Borough or Whitehall Township. We are built out."

He encouraged the audience to contact state and federal legislators to voice support for the increased PennDOT funding and the Route 22 widening.

"Even though it's a state issue, federal funds will be needed on this project," he said.

The second cause Hozza asked the audience to support is putting radar in the hands of municipal police.

"Pennsylvania is the only state in the union that does not allow a local municipal police force to use radar. The only one. The day and time to change that ... is now," said Hozza, adding that this is the top legislative item of the state mayors association.

The construction speed limit on MacArthur Road is 30 m.p.h., he said.

"All of you who drive it, you know that people aren't going 30. They're reaching 60 miles an hour in that zone and it's a construction zone," he said.

Before leaving to come to the luncheon, he heard on the scanner that a vehicle was clocked at 80 m.p.h on MacArthur Road southbound.

"Hopefully it wasn't one of the mayors," he quipped, right before saying, "It's out of control."

Radar would allow municipal police to enforce speed limits and save lives, he said, once again asking everyone to contact state legislators and voice support.

He also talked about his visit to Washington, D.C., to participate in the Mayors Against Illegal Guns program last month.

"It's a contentious issue. I know," he said, adding that it's important to safeguard our children and neighborhoods.

"In the next few weeks, you're going to hear about an initiative in Whitehall Township that's called Communities that Care," he said. Whitehall and Salisbury are participating in a local pilot program for the nationwide initiative.

"It involves everyone getting involved in the raising and rearing of children. It involves our school districts, our private schools, our townships, our parks and rec boards, our chambers of commerce, our Lions Club, the historical society, everyone," Hozza said, asking the audience to embrace the concept. "We need to ensure that this next generation has the values and the right upbringing or we're going to have one hell of a mess on our hands in the next 10 to 20 years."

Communities that Care will be one of the topics presented at the Feb. 25 Whitehall Township Crime Watch meeting 7 p.m. in the township building. The meeting is free and open to the public.