The pedestrian-friendly information kiosk is located on the south side of Hellertown Borough Hall, near the intersection of Main and Water streets.
Responding to what he said has been criticism of a pedestrian information kiosk outside Hellertown Borough Hall that hasn’t even been put into use yet, Mayor David Heintzelman used Monday night’s borough council meeting as an opportunity to stress that borough tax dollars were not used to pay for the device.
Borough Manager Cathy Hartranft confirmed that the touch-sensitive green and silver kiosk was paid for with a Northampton County Hotel Tax grant award the borough received about two years ago.
The small kiosk with “Borough of Hellertown” lettering across it “is not for people driving along Main Street to see,” she said.
Rather, the kiosk’s covered flatscreen monitor will provide local information upon request to anyone who walks up to it and touches the screen.
Hartranft said the borough is looking to possibly partner with the Hellertown-Lower Saucon Chamber of Commerce to use the kiosk to help promote information about goings-on and specials at borough businesses.
Heintzelman said the borough did the right thing by applying for the grant, which would have been awarded to another municipality if Hellertown hadn’t received it.
The kiosk is set back from the intersection of Main and Water streets on the south side of Borough Hall, and hasn’t been wired yet to display information.