A “miracle grant” is apparently on its way to Laubach Park.

The $3 million grant has been confirmed to restore William H. Laubach Memorial Park in Salisbury Township.

Improvements could get underway nearly a decade after a master plan for the park was approved.

State Sen. Nick Miller, D-14th, announced the grant for Salisbury as part of several grants for public and nonprofit projects in Lehigh and Northampton counties.

The Salisbury grant will help fund a $6.8 million project to improve the 14.4-acre Laubach Park, along Fairview Road, approximately between East Susquehanna Street and East Emmaus Avenue, on the township’s east side.

Work on the Laubach project might begin in 2027, township officials told a reporter for The Press before the Jan. 22 township commissioners’ meeting.

Township officials applied for $3,401,723 in grant funding for Laubach Park from the U.S. Department of the Interior Land and Water Conservation Fund.

“If we get all of it [the grant], it will be a miracle. If we get a part of it, it will be great,” Salisbury Township Board of Commissioners President Debra J. Brinton said at a meeting last year when commissioners voted to apply for the grant.

The project was said to be a 50% match, then township consulting engineer Stan G. Wojciechowski told a reporter for The Press after the March 27, 2025, Salisbury Township Board of Commissioners’ meeting when the grant application was approved by a 4-0 vote with one commissioner absent.

It was estimated Laubach improvements are to cost $6,803,446, according Wojciechowski.

Before the vote on the grant application at the March 27, 2025, meeting, Wojciechowski told commissioners, “We have been reassured that funding has been set aside.” He said Salisbury might have an advantage because a LWCF grant funded Laubach Park improvements in 1972. LWCF works in partnership with federal, state and local entities.

Wojciechowski presented a Laubach Park improvements sketch plan at the Feb. 27, 2025, commissioners’ meeting workshop.

At the time, the plan included a new roadway from the parking lot on the southwest side at Fairview, north to Lehigh Avenue. Vehicle parking would be along three areas of the roadway.

Proposed improvements include: a perimeter walking path, boardwalk and fishing platform at the pond, pickleball courts, basketball court, soccer-football field, two baseball fields and bathrooms.

The township completed stormwater mitigation for Laubach Park.

Salisbury adopted the master site plan for Laubach Park and Franko Farm Park in January 2017.

“There’s going to be a lot of engineering work done first,” Salisbury Township Manager Cathy Gorman said to a reporter for The Press before the Jan. 22 meeting.

Apparently, some of the work pertains to the park’s habitat. The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Pennsylvania Natural Diversity Inventory “uncovered potential bog turtle habitat” in Laubach Park, according to Gorman.

The bog turtle is “one of the smallest turtle species in the world, and the smallest in North America,” according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service website. Adult bog turtles are 4.5 inches long.

The bog turtle is listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act of 1997.

Though little, the bog turtle can be mighty. The tiny turtle has been known to bog down or delay construction projects.

The presence of bog turtle habitat in Saucon Creek at then Saucon Valley Road (now Center Valley Parkway) and Route 309 is said to have been a factor in the alignment of Interstate 78 in Upper Saucon Township.

Gorman said Salisbury would need to prepare a request for proposal for a specialist private firm to survey potential bog turtle habitat in Laubach Park.

The bog turtle (scientific name: Glyptemys muhlenbergii) is believed to have been first noted in the 18th century by Gotthilf Heinrich Ernst Muhlenberg (1753-1815), a self-taught botanist, clergyman and relative of the namesake of Muhlenberg College, Allentown.

“I wouldn’t expect any construction [in Laubach Park] this year,” Salisbury Township Director of Public Works Jim Levernier said to a reporter for The Press before the Jan. 22 meeting.

“The best-case scenario is that construction can start next year if the funding and planning are in place,” Levernier said.

“One of my top priorities has been advocating for vibrant public spaces, and I’m proud to have helped secure a $3-million upgrade for Laubach Park in Salisbury Township that will give residents and families a revitalized place to enjoy, along with other key investments in the 14th District,” Miller said in a Jan. 14 press release.

“These investments are driving our communities forward and setting a strong tone for the year ahead,” Miller said.

Miller announced $3.96 million in recreation and conservation projects in Lehigh and Northampton counties through the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

The funding builds on the 2025-2026 budget signed by Gov. Josh Shapiro that includes a $13 million increase for DCNR, the press release said.

The funding is distributed to 58 counties to improve parks and playgrounds, build and repair trails, conserve open space, restore rivers and watersheds and boost local economies through outdoor recreation.

The grants are part of DCNR’s Community Conservation Partnerships Program.

“Gov. Shapiro and DCNR’s investment in Pennsylvania’s recreation and conservation projects is laying a strong foundation for the year ahead by improving outdoor access, preserving natural resources and fostering healthier communities,” Miller said in the press release.

Lehigh County funding includes:

• $3 million - Salisbury Township: Major development of Laubach Park, including new courts, ball fields, pavilion, concession stand, splash pad, pedestrian walkways and ADA access.

• $125,000 - Wildlands Conservancy, Inc.: Install 12 acres of riparian buffers and 5 acres of meadows in the Lehigh River Watershed, including landowner outreach, plantings, maintenance, signage and related improvements.

• $292,300 - Whitehall Township: Rehabilitation of 5.9 miles of the Ironton Rail Trail, including ADA access, landscaping and site improvements.

• $55,000 - South Whitehall Township: Update the Master Site Development Plan for the 112-acre Covered Bridge Park.

• $250,000 - North Whitehall Township: Rehabilitation and development of Municipal Park, including comfort station, dugouts, walkways and ADA access.

• $75,000 - Lehigh Valley Planning Commission: Update the Livable Landscapes Plan for Lehigh County.

Lehigh and Northampton counties funding includes:

• $160,000 - Wildlands Conservancy, Inc.: Restore 2,000 feet of three Lehigh River tributaries, including dam removal, stream bank stabilization and riparian buffer improvements.

Funding comes from the Keystone Fund, Environmental Stewardship Fund, and other funding sources, according to the press release.

The February Salisbury Township meeting schedule in the municipal building, 2900 S. Pike Ave., includes: 7 p.m. Feb. 11, zoning hearing board; 7 p.m. Feb. 12, board of commissioners; 7 p.m. Feb. 18, environmental advisory council meeting; 7 p.m. Feb. 25, planning commission and 7 p.m. Feb. 26, board of commissioners.