Hellertown officials discussed improvements to Water Street Park during the Feb. 26 borough council meeting.

According to Borough Manager Cathy Kichline, the proposed project is the result of community need.

The first phase, Kichline said, will involve utility connections and interior fit for two new ADA accessible unisex bathrooms, construction of a new basketball court and ice skate rink, expanding parking and site landscaping.

"These improvements will include native plantings and rain gardens to integrate the site with the adjacent Saucon Creek riparian buffer," Kichline added.

The first part of the construction phase is expected to begin in 2014.

Water Street Park, which runs adjacent to the Saucon Rail Trail, is the site of the Saucon Valley Farmers' Market, which runs each Sunday from May until November.