Coplay Borough has been invited to join the Whitehall Area Chamber of Commerce.

Councilman Steve Burker invited chamber Executive Laura Long to attend the Aug. 4 workshop meeting and speak about the benefits of chamber membership.

Burker said belonging to the chamber fits in with his idea of marketing Coplay as a good place to live and visit.

"It will enhance our relationship with our Whitehall neighbors," Burker said.

Long said the chamber name includes the word "area" specifically because many members are not from Whitehall. Many members come from Catasauqua and North Catasauqua and even Bethlehem, said Long, noting the Sands is a Whitehall chamber member.

"Our chamber is smaller," she said. "We're an independent chamber and we have been trying to reach out to our neighbors."

The chamber has 288 members, compared to about 6,000 members at the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce. A lot of other smaller chambers have merged together but the Whitehall chamber members specifically want to remain independent and have been for 55 years.

She said Whitehall Township is a chamber member.

If Coplay were to join, as a municipality, its membership dues would be $375 based on their having more than 20 employees but less than 100. They would also get a 15-percent discount for being nonprofit, so this would bring the cost down to $318.75.

"We now have a chamber foundation which can get grants and push them out to the community," Long said. "We're very active in the community but then [we're] community minded."

"I think we should really consider this," said Councilman Charles Sodl.

There was no other discussion.