The Friends of Catasauqua Parks now has an official logo, thanks to design contest winner Ian Dean.

Simple in design but also eloquent, the logo was one of several entries. The FOCP committee ultimately selected the design by Dean, of Catasauqua.

The committee is a recently formed group whose genesis occurred when the Catasauqua Municipal Swimming Pool was closed the last two seasons. A group of citizens developed the committee, now led by Catasauqua Borough Councilman Gene Schlegel.

Catasauqua Mayor Barbara Schlegel said she also actively supports the committee. She is delighted with its efforts, as members attempt fundraising for what the mayor believes is an important nonprofit and governmental mission to not only reopen some form of pool in the borough but to also improve the parks.

The FOCP’s mission statement is “to improve the quality of life of Catasauqua residents through recreational fundraising events to sustain our parks.”

The FOCP has a Facebook page that provides more information on the group’s activities.

Other municipalities have utilized this fundraising concept to improve their communities by raising money - in some cases, large amounts of dollars - to have a significant impact on their residents.

Lehighton Borough, a community in Carbon County, reportedly formed a citizen committee focused on fundraising for its park system and reportedly raised about $100,000 to improve the swimming pool and other items in the park system.

These dollars raised by FOCP can be used to facilitate and leverage county and state grants for a new pool or substantially renovated pool.

The FOCP has energetic committee members and volunteers who plan to work as hard as they can to continue to raise funds for the parks. They are seeking a reopening of the municipal pool or a plan to replace or renovate the pool, which is widely viewed as the anchor of the Catasauqua parks system.

The committee’s next meeting is 6:30 p.m. Sept. 28 in the borough municipal complex, 90 Bridge St. The committee’s membership view is “the more, the merrier.” It believes its goals have a better chance of succeeding if the level of enthusiastic volunteer support grows.