North Catasauqua Council members voted to approve the purchase of new playground equipment, replacing the current apparatus in the upper lot, near the pavilion, at the borough park.

Although a matching-funds Open Space Fund grant application for park improvement has not yet been approved by Northampton County, council President Peter Paone suggested going ahead with the purchase order for the new equipment to take advantage of a discount offered by the equipment company.

“I would rather purchase the equipment while it is discounted by roughly $20,000, and allow us to use that savings toward the balance of the project if and when the application is approved, than see the total cost for the project rise,” he said at the Oct. 11 council meeting.

The discount is offered until Oct. 22.

The catalog retail cost of the equipment, with freight, is about $65,000. The discounted price is approximately $45,294, including the cost of shipping. The cost of drilling the locations for the equipment supports, to be completed by the company, is $4,600, making the total cost $49,894. The public works department would be responsible for clearing the lot, removing the old equipment, grading the area, removing obstructions and installing the new equipment on the piers installed by the company.

Also to be removed is the existing swing set and large metal sliding board.

Once the purchase order is placed, materials should arrive in January or February, and payment will be due 30 days after delivery.

Council voted 5-0 to approve the purchase order, with Cherie Gebhardt and John Yanek absent.

“It would be foolish not to take advantage of the discount,” Councilman Joe Keglovits said.

The existing equipment at the park is beginning to age, and it is difficult to find repair parts, Paone told The Press.

The grant application is for a total of about $117,000 and includes a request for funding the playground equipment as well as rehabbing the volleyball and basketball courts, the tot lot and the ball field and adding picnic tables.

Another big expense that may be coming up is for a needed emergency generator for the municipal building. The current generator does not provide enough emergency power for adequate lighting in the building.

The borough will apply for some grant funding to help with the cost, expected to be between $40,000 and $50,000.

“The way things are going, it’s going to be an interesting budget,” Keglovits said.