Lower Saucon Township resident Kimberly Humberd says council needs to explain what its plan is for providing library services to residents, now that they no longer have access to the Hellertown Area Library.
A dispute between Hellertown borough and Lower Saucon Township officials that began with a disagreement over library services and later spread to involve other previously shared facilities has culminated in a lawsuit filed by the borough in the Northampton County Court of Common Pleas.
Lower Saucon resident Deb Peters writes that township elected officials should “reconsider the damage” she says they’re doing to the community, including kids like her son. Officials said Friday that they plan to pursue legal action against the state for removing the township from the Hellertown Area Library’s service area effective Jan. 1. HAL requested the change after the township ended its ongoing financial support by rejecting a new five-year agreement earlier this year. The immediate impact is the loss of Hellertown library privileges for thousands of township residents as of Sunday.
“Elected officials are supposed to be responsive to the wishes of taxpayers,” writes Lower Saucon Township resident Mary Dawson. “The reputation of our township has been negatively impacted by the actions of council and I would like some answers.”
In the latest edition of the Lower Saucon Township newsletter, the township offers to reimburse residents who purchase a library card up to $40. However, many residents are apparently unsure where–or how–to join a library.
Supporting the Hellertown Area Library just got a whole lot tastier. The Friends of the Hellertown Area Library (FOTHAL) are currently sponsoring a pierogi fundraiser that will help pay for projects such as new brickwork and landscaping.
A division between the Borough of Hellertown and Lower Saucon Township that began over differences in funding for the Hellertown Area Library seemingly grew deeper following the decision by borough council earlier this month to end several intermunicipal agreements with the township at the end of this year.
Jayne Shinko says the Hellertown Area Library should “plan a future without Lower Saucon,” and that Borough Council should also demand an audit and reimbursement of borough funds that have been used to subsidize library services for township residents in recent months.
A meeting about “issues pertaining to the Hellertown Area Library” was held last week, Mayor David Heintzelman revealed in a letter about it which he read at Monday night’s Hellertown Borough Council meeting and shared on the borough’s Facebook page.
A resource that is now available for local residents facing financial challenges is a “Help Yourself Shelf” that was recently opened in the basement of the Hellertown Area Library.
