Bethlehem Library Says 'No' to Township's Fund-Sharing Request

A request by Lower Saucon Township officials to allow library funds to be shared between the Bethlehem Area Public Library and the Hellertown Area Library was rejected Monday by the BAPL Board of Trustees, the Express-Times reported.

After a two-year library services study revealed that about half of Lower Saucon residents favor the Hellertown library, which currently receives no township funding, council members said they wanted the BAPL to consider an option that would allow the township's $180,000-plus annual contribution to be split with the HAL.

The BAPL board formed a committee to study the issue, but a majority of board members decided that the library's other contributing municipalities—such as Fountain Hill—will not tolerate a reduced financial burden for Lower Saucon, the article said.