Lower Saucon Township resident Jo-Ellen P. Thomson writes that she is "embarrassed by the chaos and division...in our community" she attributes to decisions made by the current Republican majority on township council.
The Southern Lehigh Public Library board's meeting Tuesday evening was a highly anticipated one, as the board was expected to consider a $1 million library services proposal from Lower Saucon Township. However, the meeting's results proved anticlimactic.
Lower Saucon Township resident Dave Willard says township council should offer the same deal it's proposing to Southern Lehigh Public Library officials to the Hellertown Area Library. The township was part of the HAL's service area until the beginning of this year, and currently has no home library.
Lower Saucon Township residents have been unable to access Southern Lehigh Public Library services and programs since Feb. 28, but that could change depending on the outcome of a special township council meeting that is now scheduled for Tuesday, April 4 at 6 p.m.
Kathy Pichel McGovern has announced that she is running as a Republican for Lower Saucon Township Council on a platform that includes support for the Hellertown Area Library and opposition to the proposed expansion of the Bethlehem Landfill in the township.
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.
