Sept. 15, 2025

— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs

If and when the Bethlehem Boondoggle .. excuse me, the Bethlehem Food Co-Op … no, I mean the Bethlehem Co-Op Market … opens, I might get into line early to buy a $5 million pepper.

There might be news on the opening tonight, when the Boondoggle holds a meeting. Details below — Big Finish!

The $5 million is my estimate for spending so far by this outfit, which is years past its expiration date. The opening has been “delayed” and then “adjusted” (which means delayed) for at least three years.

This boondoggle started in 2011, when somebody couldn’t find a pepper. Really. They should have called me, I can find peppers and grow a few in my yard too.

The pepperless person went on the Internet to suggest a local food co-op, and in a cyber world where support requires just the twitch of a finger, found favor.

That led to an organization that has churned through members, leadership and money. That’s their problem, but it became a public issue when the federal government contributed $2.9 million and the State of Pennsylvania tossed in $100,000 … to put up a small grocery store under three floors of yuppie apartments at 250 E. Broad St. It was supposed to open in 2022.

Recently I’ve seen some activity at the site, and earlier this year, the management of a co-op that isn’t open said it would open this summer.

Summer ends on Monday, Sept. 22. Let’s see if they make it. I sent email a few weeks asking for clarity but it must have been lost in the flurry of activity at the non-operating co-operative.

As for the $5 million pepper: $3 million in misspent federal and state dollars; about $500,000 from membership fees, and the organization said it was raising another $1.4 million and hoping for low-interest loans from members.

I have to figure the place will open, but such a mess of a process doesn’t bode well for the future, or for taxpayers ever getting a return on their $3 million.

Perhaps tonight, all questions will be answered. Perhaps the co-op will do all the wonderful things promised at so many breathless meetings, where the magic of a co-op in Seattle was discussed, along with terms such as “food desert” and “food insecurity,” and yet the chosen site is under new apartments in an affluent part of Bethlehem.

Still, perhaps everything will be set right tonight. Yes, at 6:30 p.m. tonight, Monday Sept. 15, the Co-Op will hold a meeting. In a perfect world, whoever is in charge will say when it’s going to open, where all the money went, why it needs even more money, and what is the &#$#($* point of all this.

Stand by!

I have one suggestion, if you’re one of those people who pitched in $300 for a membership and maybe then even made a loan to the Co-Op: Show up. Demand answers and accountability.

Don’t circle the wagons and defend an organization that has to date done … ?

Here’s a link, and a cut-and-paste from the Bethlehem Co-Op website:

Town Hall & Board Meeting

Date: Monday

September 15, 2025

Time: 6:30 PM

Location: 511 E. 3rd St., Bethlehem

Venue: NCC Fowler Center & Online

Event Summary: We’re shaking things up! At our upcoming monthly board meeting, […]

We’re shaking things up! At our upcoming monthly board meeting, we’ll begin with a Town Hall session designed to give you – our member-owners – the opportunity to ask questions, raise concerns, and hear directly from our Board of Directors.

This is your opportunity to get updates and clarity on the topics you care most about, including:

• Where we stand financially
• Progress on the Sustainable Future fundraising campaign
• Status of the store build-out
• The General Manager search and operations planning
• Timeline for opening our co-op
• Which local vendors will supply the store
• Where volunteer support is most needed

And of course, most important, we want to hear your questions.

As always, we’ll offer this meeting as a hybrid (online link: bit.ly/3HyyiZA).

If you can’t make it, please send your questions, concerns, or comments to vice chair Todd Mertz. We’ll address them during the Town Hall and share responses in a future newsletter, so everyone stays in the loop.

That’s not all – we’ve invited our Board candidates to attend, and will introduce them. Come meet them in person, hear from them, and get to know the people who could help shape the co-op’s future.

Plus, our prepared foods manager, Chef Amy Zelinski, will be offering light snacks – a small sneak peek of what’s to come when the market opens!

This meeting is all about transparency, connection, and community. Don’t miss your opportunity to be part of the conversation about the future of our co-op. We look forward to seeing you there!