After several years, the Northern Lehigh Recreation Authority is about to move its office to a new location.

As of April 1, the group will be located at the Washington Township Municipal Building, 7951 Center St., Emerald.

For the past three years, the organization has been located out of the Slatington Borough Municipal Building.

Lindsay Taylor, executive director, Northern Lehigh Recreation Authority, said she sees it as a “lateral move.”

“The understanding with Slatington was that it would be short-term, with the idea that the community center would be further along,” Taylor said. “They have some budgetary challenges, are looking for additional revenue, and because we really didn’t have a written agreement, they really would like to charge some rent, which we can’t afford.”

She noted that each of the three communities which make up the organization has representation on the board.

Taylor said township Supervisor Josh Friebolin suggested that the organization inquire about space inside the township’s municipal building.

“We posed it to supervisors and the township manager,” she said. “The office space was not being used, it’s (in the) back of the building; they were good enough to offer that space to us.”

Taylor said the township will not charge the organization any fees to rent the space.

“The goal is to continue to offer programs to all the residents,” she said. “They are all deserving of quality recreation programs, and that’s what I want to give them.”

Taylor said she doesn’t believe the services the organization provides will be compromised in any way once the move is complete.

“I don’t believe it will; the Washington Township Municipal Building is right down the road from the community center, there’s the Trout Creek at the Covered Bridge,” she said. “It’s the biggest municipality of the authority.”

The mission of the Northern Lehigh Recreation Authority is to provide a diverse range of educational, and recreational programs and activities that promote a strong sense of community.

The organization was created in 2015 and operates as a publicly funded, collaborative partnership between the boroughs of Slatington and Walnutport, Washington Township, the Community Center Committee and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.