A Commonwealth grant for Lindberg Park has been approved, allowing work on the park's perimeter walking path to get underway

The $177,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources matches a previously-approved $160,000 grant in the Green Future Fund administered by Lehigh County.

"We got a Christmas present from DCNR," said Salisbury Township Manager Randy Soriano in announcing receipt of the Commonwealth grant at the Dec. 19, 2013 township board of commissioners meeting.

"2014 is the year of construction because we only have one year to build under the Green Future fund," Soriano added.

The perimeter path, part of the Lindberg Park Master Plan, is intended to connect Lindberg Park via easements to Lehigh Parkway in Allentown.

The master plan includes improvements to Lindberg playground facilities.

The development of the park is divided into 11 phases.

In 2011, the township began creating a Lindberg Park Master Plan and Neighborhood Connections Study, based on the Salisbury Township Parks, Recreation and Open Space Plan.

With input from the township Recreation Commission, public hearings were held throughout 2012 prior to the plan's approval.

In other business at the Dec. 19, 2013 meeting, commissioners voted unanimously 5-0 to approve resolutions to:

- Set the police pension employee contribution rate for 2014. The township requirement for the police pension plan for 2014 is $322,874. Commonwealth aid will be insufficient. Each police officer is to contribute 2.04 percent of salary.

- Set the non-uniformed pension employee contribution rate for 2014.

- Retroactively eliminate the pension contribution for non-uniformed township employees for years 2011 to 2013.

- Authorize the tax collector to process interim billings and refunds and set thresholds (interim billings above $10 and process refund payments exceeding $10).

Commissioners hold their reorganization meeting, 7 p.m. Jan. 6, and their next regular meeting, 7 p.m. Jan. 9 at the Municipal Building, 2900 S. Pike Avenue.