Two longtime Hellertown Area Library volunteers will give a presentation about HAL’s history and a local blogger will share her views about how local politics are affecting its funding at a public forum on Monday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. at the Carriage House at Heintzelmans in Hellertown.
According to a news release about the event, Bob Pasternak and Janie Hecker will talk about why the library was founded in the early 1990s, highlighting the actions others played in charting its future before discussing the library’s current direction.
Andrea Wittchen, a resident who blogs about Lower Saucon Township politics at Saucon Shenanigans and has advocated for township funding of the library, “will present the current funding and political situation the library faces,” the release said.
Library funding or a lack thereof has become a political issue in the township, where a majority on the current council voted not to accept a new five-year agreement with HAL in January 2022.
That decision and others which followed led to a public, ongoing dispute with Hellertown borough in which both sides have aired grievances and taken legal action against the other municipality.
The latest development involving the library was Lower Saucon Township’s submission of an offer of financial support for HAL, along with other proposed agreements, which Hellertown Borough Council unanimously rejected in early October.
Chief among the concerns cited by council members was the fact that borough council doesn’t have the authority to accept an agreement on behalf of HAL, which is an independent, nonprofit organization.
“This is nothing but a political stunt,” councilman Earl Hill said of the Sept. 21 offer letter the borough received.
Lower Saucon residents are currently able to purchase HAL library cards and receive reimbursement of up to $40 from the township, but the cards lack the PA Access sticker they would have if the township was funding HAL as its “home library” according to the state’s Office of Commonwealth Libraries definition. That sticker allows cardholders to access materials at libraries statewide.
About a third of township residents held HAL cards before Lower Saucon was removed by the OCL from HAL’s service area at the end of 2022; a decision Lower Saucon is fighting in federal court.
For their part, members of Lower Saucon Township Council who opposed adopting the 2022 HAL agreement said they were unhappy with how it was negotiated and want a library services agreement that provides township residents with better value for their tax dollars.
In the intervening 21 months, the township has spent tens of thousands of dollars on legal fees related to the library dispute and related conflicts that have begun in its wake; a subject Wittchen blogged about earlier this year.
Meanwhile, whether Lower Saucon Township should rejoin HAL, continue on-and-off efforts to join Southern Lehigh Public Library’s service area or potentially do something else has remained a hot topic at both council and library board meetings.
Almost all of the township residents who have spoken publicly about the library at the meetings have said they want Lower Saucon to rejoin HAL, and have cited reasons such as its central location within the Saucon Valley School District and its children’s programming.
The library is also a key issue in this year’s Lower Saucon Township Council race, in which six candidates–three Democrats and three Republicans–are running for three seats. Incumbents Priscilla deLeon (D), Sandra Yerger (R) and Mark Inglis (R) are seeking re-election. The three challengers in the race are Susan Blair (R), Laura Ray (D) and Victoria Opthof-Cordaro (D).
It is unclear how many township residents remain undecided about the issue of library services, and other topics–such as a proposed landfill expansion–are also prominent campaign issues.
“Please come and be informed about the current situation so you can make an intelligent and educated decision about the future of the library,” the news release about the upcoming forum said. “This not only concerns the residents of Lower Saucon, but also the residents of Hellertown.”
The Carriage House at Heintzelmans is located at 326 Main Street (Rear), behind Heintzelman Funeral Home.
The Oct. 30 event is free and open to the public.
To learn more about the Hellertown Area Library, visit HellertownLibrary.org.
