Lower Saucon Township Councilwoman Priscilla deLeon writes that her attempt to put a library services discussion on the Feb. 16 council meeting agenda for discussion has apparently been thwarted. Some residents are upset and concerned over the future of library services in the township after a council majority rejected a proposed 5-year agreement with the Hellertown Area Library last month.
Hellertown borough council Monday followed through on what it promised to do late last month, by voting to pause all intergovernmental relations with Lower Saucon Township pending their re-examination, which it was estimated would happen in about a month.
If you're a Lower Saucon Township resident worried about losing access to the staff, materials and programs at the Hellertown Area Library after today, you can breathe a little easier knowing that the library's board of trustees has extended whatever access it can for another month.
One of the largest turnouts by residents in recent years was at a special Hellertown Borough Council meeting about the future of the Hellertown Area Library Wednesday night.
Lower Saucon Township Manager Leslie Huhn has submitted her letter of resignation to township council. In the letter submitted Wednesday, a copy of which Saucon Source has viewed, Huhn said she is thankful for the opportunities she has had while employed by the township.
Residents of both Hellertown borough and Lower Saucon Township who are concerned about the future of the Hellertown Area Library may want to attend a special Hellertown borough council meeting that will be held Wednesday, Jan. 26 at 7 p.m. at Borough Hall.
Concerns about a 5-year Hellertown Area Library funding agreement were aired by Lower Saucon Township Council members at their meeting Wednesday, with council ultimately voting 4-1 to donate $50,000 to the library less a one-month installment payment made Jan. 1 instead of approving the agreement worth nearly $500,000, while opening up the possibility of a lawsuit against the library if access is denied to residents as a result of Wednesday's decision.
Fountain Hill's unique new permanent library, Books on the Hill, is housed in a 30-foot long bookmobile parked on the corner of Spiegel Street and Stanley Avenue. The library is the newest expansion of the Bethlehem Area Public Library system, and has been a work-in-progress for five years.
The Southern Lehigh Public Library may be forced to operate on a tighter budget in 2021, as officials from Lower Milford Township have expressed opposition to providing funding to the library.
Children's imaginations need constant nurturing, which is why the Hellertown Area Library has put its story time program on Facebook Live while the library is closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
