LehighNow Volume 02, Issue 15

              LEHIGHNOW
May 1, 2002
Volume 2, Issue 15
IN BRIEF
ON CAMPUS
Earth Day
celebrated
For 738 days, Julia
Butterfly Hill lived in the
canopy of an ancient
redwood tree to help
make the world aware of
the plight of forests. Her
efforts helped save the
1,000-foot tree, as well
as create international
awareness of the issue of
endangered forests.
Hill stopped at
Lehigh as part of a
nationwide book tour
and to help students
celebrate Earth Day in
late April, when she
lectured on the importance of local involvement in environmental
issues.
Student organizers
expanded the scope of
this year's Earth Day
event to "increase the
magnitude and have a
broader impact on
students," according to
Noah White '03, chair
of the Student Senate
Earth Day Committee.
Added Senate
President Tim Lyster
'02: "It's about bringing
as many groups together
as possible."
To that end, the
Earth Day organizers
lined up clean-ups of
Bethlehem's South Side
and Jacobsburg Park,
and a concert by the
group Watershed.
Lehigh
unveils
South
Side plans
Lehigh University has
unveiled two more
initiatives designed to
strengthen the South Side
Bethlehem neighborhood
adjacent to campus.
The university announced
on Wednesday that ice
cream, coffee and Italian
food will be served up at
the commercial spaces on
the ground level of the new
Campus Square residence
hall/retail complex.
The complex, which also
includes Lehigh's new
bookstore, is scheduled to
open in late summer.
University and city officials
also jointly announced
South Side beautification
projects.
The Cup, operated by the
Bethlehem Dairy Store,
with two current locations,
both on Linden Street on
the north side of Bethlehem,
will open its third store in
the Campus Square space
closest to Morton Street.
Jazzman's, a coffeehouse
operated by The Wood
Company, will occupy the
middle space, and
Pastaficio, an Italian
restaurant with a current
location on Hamilton Street
in Allentown, will occupy
the third space.
All three spaces are on the
ground level on the west
side of the Campus Square
pedestrian plaza, which
will be across from the new,
two-story Lehigh bookstore.
Lehigh also announced
that it will fund a South
An artist's rendering of the Campus Square residence hall/retail
complex.
Side Community Beautification Project designed to
spruce up the neighborhoods
adjacent to campus. The
project will include weed
control, tree maintenance,
flower planting, trash
pickup, sidewalk cleaning
and park maintenance.
Gregory C. Farrington,
Lehigh president, said
Campus Square and the
beautification projects reflect
the university's commitment
to working with the city to
strengthen the economic
vitality of the South Side.
"Campus Square provides
another housing option—
right now the hottest option
on campus— for our
students," said Farrington.
"But it also is designed to
serve our neighbors and to
encourage more Lehigh
students to patronize the
South Side retail district. We
can't thank the mayor, city
council members, other city
officials, and the local
merchants enough for their
continuing cooperation. The
beautification project is our
way of showing in a very real
way that we are part of this
community and care deeply
about the appearance of our
neighborhoods."
With the active help of
Lehigh, the City of Bethlehem
has secured more than $2
million to upgrade the
streetscapes of the South
Side business district to
include repaving of streets,
brick crosswalks, sidewalk
repairs, benches and most
significant, new pedestrian-
friendly lights.
The 13-foot acorn style
lights will be installed along
Third and Fourth streets
from Wyandotte to Taylor
and parts of Brodhead and
Broadway. Work is expected
to begin in May and be
completed by the end of July.
The city is also developing an
anti-litter campaign to create
public awareness and
encourage citizens and
visitors to help keep the city
looking clean.
"These projects exemplify
the strong partnership the
city and Lehigh have
developed," said Don
Cunningham, Bethlehem
mayor. "Our mutual goal is
to create a South Side retail
district that attracts visitors
from other neighborhoods
and indeed from the entire
region. And it's happening."