State Rep. Mike Schlossberg, D-132nd, and state Sen. Jarrett Coleman, R-16th, have announced the Shapiro administration is awarding $5 million from the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program for the Upper Macungie Township Community Lifestyle Center.

“When lawmakers and Gov. Shapiro work together, our region wins,” Schlossberg said on Nov. 1 in a news release. “In Upper Macungie Township, that means the vision for the Community Lifestyle Center is one step closer to being financed and built, helping leaders in a growing and thriving community to better serve the needs of their residents and Lehigh County.”

Ground was broken for the center in September.

The 188,000-square-foot- facility will include an indoor soccer field, running path, indoor courts for basketball and volleyball, exercise facilities, spaces for lounges and instruction, and a cafeteria.

The center will also be available to serve community needs in the event of an emergency, and to host sporting events, celebrations, concerts, and public health clinics.

Municipal leaders in Upper Macungie Township have spent years in planning the facility at Grange Park, with opening of the facility likely approximately 20 months from now.

“As someone who has lived in Upper Macungie for most of my life, I recognize that the municipality is a great place to live, work and raise a family,” Coleman said.

“The Lifestyle Center will provide a long-term resource for the community, and I look forward to seeing the facility being opened to the public.”

Schlossberg said Upper Macungie leaders and community partners are making an “incredible investment” in the region.

“I am thrilled to support these efforts, and that the Shapiro administration sees the value for residents of Lehigh County,” Schlossberg said.

The funding for the Upper Macungie Township Community Lifestyle Center was acquired through the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program, a state grant program for the design, acquisition, and construction of regional economic, cultural, civic, recreational, and historical improvement projects.

RACP projects, state-funded projects that cannot obtain primary funding under other state programs, have a regional impact and generate substantial increases or maintain current levels of employment, tax revenues, or other measures of economic activity.

“In addition to the announcement for the Upper Macungie Township Community Lifestyle Center, today’s announcement will also help other municipalities to better serve their residents, area businesses create jobs that pay good wages and enhance our region’s health care,” Schlossberg said “When we all work together, we make the Lehigh Valley a better place to live,” Schlossberg said..”