EASTON, Pa. – Easton City Council approved a five-year lease agreement involving the city's headquarters Wednesday night at city hall.
The city will rent two ground-floor commercial suites at city hall, located at 123 S. Third St., to Hologram Zoo Lehigh Valley. The lease is scheduled to start May 1 for the 5,904-square-foot space with a $7,380 monthly rent.
The venture, which features lifelike holograms of animals and their habitats, is scheduled to operate seven days a week and open before July's end. Harshal and Manpreet Patel have licensed the zoo's technology, which comes from Texas-based Axiom Holographics.
In a presentation to City Council Wednesday night, Manpreet Patel said that all animals in the hologram zoo will be constructed from laser light. Visitors will walk among the hologram animals and witness their natural habitats.
"The animals look, act and sound real," she said.
The hologram zoo is a modular unit comprised of three main sections: a 62-foot tunnel, two animal enclosures and a sky roof. The zoo's content refreshes each quarter and features three shows per quarter as well as seasonal shows for Halloween, Valentine's Day, Easter and Christmas. Each show lasts 30 minutes, and three groups are allowed at a time, with up to 12 people permitted in a group.
The zoo will also feature two large hologram rooms where individuals wear 3D glasses during a 30-minute show, according to Manpreet Patel.
"The rooms are really lifelike immersive experiences," she said.
Admission to the facility is slated for $24.99 per person, with children ages 3 and under admitted free. The hologram room will cost $19.99 per group.
The zoo will be the second of its type in North America and the first in the northeastern U.S.
Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor funding
The legislative body approved a grant agreement with the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor located 2750 Hugh Moore Park Road.
The DLNHC has received funds from the William Penn Foundation to support new projects "that create or enhance safe or welcoming spaces along the D&L Trail."
The pact means the City of Easton will procure supplies, equipment and professional services for the project. Those supplies include outdoor chess tables and benches to be placed in Scott Park, and can also be used for general seating along the river.
Matching funding is being provided with a separate grant through the United Way.
Hackett Park
City Council authorized the department of community and economic development to apply for a Greenways, Trails and Railways Program grant for $244,965 for the Hackett Park bike park.
The GTRP requires a minimum 15% match, and the legislation resolves the City of Easton will provide a 53% match of $188,000 and $90,000 from the Trek Foundation and a private donor.
Confluence improvements
City Council OK'd a developer's agreement between Easton and Larry Holmes Drive Associates for public improvements associated with the Confluence development.
The development is offered for 185 S. Third St. by Peron Development and partner City Center Investment Corp. The project involves a five-story, mixed-use development with 273 apartments, retail and restaurant space.
The value of the public improvements is $525,025, to be paid by the developer.
Post-fire review
In his report to City Council, City Administrator Luis Campos indicated the city plans an event to examine the city's response to two significant fires which occurred on Ferry Street and at Hotel Lafayette.
"It will be good to do a post-mortem to see what the sequence of events were and what we could do better," Campos said.
The event is scheduled for this summer at Lafayette College.
