Stagger Library Board Members' Terms, Supervisor Says

Upper Saucon Township supervisor Jack DeMatos questions why the township's library board members' terms aren't staggered to help prevent a mass exodus all at once.

Upper Saucon Township is in the midst of filling four open seats on the Southern Lehigh Public Library Board of Directors, and one supervisor questioned why all of the seats are being vacated at once. At the supervisors' May 13 meeting, Jack DeMatos wondered aloud why the terms for the township's library board members aren't staggered to expire in different years. "It's always been that way," explained township manager Thomas Beil, who told supervisors that seven residents have expressed an interest in being appointed to the library board. The library board itself has a total of seven members, four of whom are appointed by Upper Saucon Township. Interviews with the current applicants will be conducted by the supervisors' appointment review…

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Self-Guided Garden Tour Will Benefit Library

The fourth annual Not-So-Secret Gardens Tour will be held Saturday, June 22 in Coopersburg and Center Valley.

Tickets for a garden tour that will benefit the Southern Lehigh Public Library are now on sale at the library, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The fourth annual Not-So-Secret Gardens Tour—sponsored by the Friends of the Southern Lehigh Public Library—will be a self-guided tour of six private Coopersburg and Center Valley gardens. The tour will be held Saturday, June 22, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., rain or shine ("downpour date" is June 23). Advance tickets for the tour are $12; tickets purchased the day of the tour at the library will be $15. Children under 12 are free. Advance tickets can be purchased with a credit card by calling the library at 610-282-8825. The library will also host a Garden Boutique, which will be …

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Help Solehi Library by Shopping at Dan Schantz

A coupon on the Southern Lehigh Public Library website can be printed for use at Dan Schantz Greenhouse in Allentown. Through June 30 the business will donate $2 to the library when the coupon is used on a purchase of $10 or more.

If you're looking to spruce up your yard this spring, you can help the Southern Lehigh Public Library at the same time. Through June 30, the friends of the library are participating in a fundraiser in conjunction with Dan Schantz Greenhouse & Cut Flower Outlet in Allentown. When a printable coupon (posted on the library website) is used on purchases of $10 or more, Dan Schantz has agreed to donate $2 to the Friends of the Southern Lehigh Public Library. Dan Schantz Greenhouse is located at 2931 29th St. SW, Allentown.

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State Rep. Has Office Hours in Center Valley, L. Milford

The state representative who represents the Southern Lehigh School District holds monthly office hours at both Southern Lehigh Public Library and the Lower Milford Township municipal building.

State Rep. Justin Simmons' (R-131) main district office is located in Coopersburg, but each month his office holds satellite office hours at locations throughout the district, according to information posted on his website. In Center Valley, Simmons' office hours are held at Southern Lehigh Public Library, 3200 Preston Lane on the third Wednesday of the month, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. In Lower Milford Township, the office hours are held at the township building, 7607 Chestnut Hill Church Road on the third Tuesday of the month, from 12:30 to 4 p.m. Simmons' district includes part of Lower Saucon Township, as well as parts of Allentown, Salisbury Township and Upper Milford Township, and all of Coopersburg, Lower Milford Township and Upper …

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Solehi Library Needs 4 Board Members

The Southern Lehigh Public Library Board is looking for Upper Saucon Township residents to fill four openings on the library’s board of directors.

If you live in Upper Saucon Township and have always wondered what you could do to lend your support to the Southern Lehigh Public Library, this could be the very opportunity you’ve been looking for. Right now, the Solehi Library has four board of directors positions that need to be filled and the openings must be filled by Upper Saucon Township residents. The Solehi Library is managed by a seven-member board of directors, whose members are appointed by Upper Saucon Township (four members), Lower Milford Township (one member), Coopersburg Borough (one member) and the Southern Lehigh School District (one member), according to a flier about the board openings on the library website. Each appointee serves a three-year term, July 1-June 30, …

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Southern Lehigh School District

Solehi Will Give $64K to Southern Lehigh Public Library

The Southern Lehigh School Board, at Monday night's meeting, unanimously agreed to contribute $64,000 to the Southern Lehigh Public Library with the 2013-2014 budget.

The Southern Lehigh School Board approved, by a 7-0 vote at its Monday night meeting, a $64,000 contribution to the Southern Lehigh Public Library for the 2013-2014 budget. The 2013-2014 donation is the same amount that the school district has allocated to the library for the past two years, according to Solehi director of business services Jeremy Melber. The school district typically gets a letter from the library asking for a certain financial allocation, Melber explained, but this year no such letter was received. As a result, the administration recommended maintaining the same funding amount in 2013-2014 as 2012-2013. Board president Jeffrey Dimmig and board member John Quigley were absent from Monday's meeting.

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[Update] Moms 'Action for Gun Sense' Vigil Thursday

The local chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America is co-sponsoring a vigil at Southern Lehigh Public Library on Thursday remembering victims of gun violence and supporting common sense gun laws.

Editor's Note: There has been a last-minute need to change the location for today's vigil. The event will not be held at Southern Lehigh Public Library as originally planned. Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America is in the process of trying to nail down a new venue. Check back with Upper Saucon Patch for updates. The local chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America invites members of the community to honor victims of gun violence and show their support of common sense gun laws through a vigil at Southern Lehigh Public Library on Thursday at 6 p.m. The event, planned along with Mayors Partnering with Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG), will feature several speakers, including: There will also be a petition drive and …

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Free Tax Help Available at Southern Lehigh Library

Free tax help for low- and middle-income taxpayers is available each Wednesday from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Southern Lehigh Public Library, 3200 Preston Lane, Center Valley.

It's tax season, and many taxpayers are looking for helpand advice as they prepare their returns for Uncle Sam. Assistance with tax preparation doesn't have to cost a fortune, though. Thanks to a program sponsored by the AARP and the IRS, free tax help is available through April 15 for low- and middle-income residents at a variety of nearby locations, including Southern Lehigh Public Library, 3200 Preston Lane, Center Valley. Each Wednesday from 1 to 4 p.m., trained volunteer counselors are available at the library to help with the preparation of tax returns and applications for Pennsylvania's property tax/rent rebate program, according to a flyer about the program. Anyone interested in taking advantage of it should bring their 2011 tax …

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Library Hosts Dogs, Kids, and Books Saturday

'Tail wagging readers' program promises fun with fuzzy patrons for kids of all ages.

If you happen to be at the Southern Lehigh Public Library this Saturday, you may see some four-legged patrons in the stacks.  This Saturday, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., two therapy dogs will be on hand to read to.  "[It's a] great program for encouraging reluctant readers," writes the Southern Lehigh Public Library on their website.  The library's website explains:  Have you ever read to a dog? If not, here is your chance! We’ll have two kind and gentle therapy dogs and their owners here at SLPL for you to read to! Open house style; come and go as you please! Bring your own books or read from ours. No age restrictions. No registration required.  What: Tail-Wagging Readers When: Saturday Feb. 23, 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Where: Southern Lehigh Public …

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February Means Free Hot Drink at Southern Lehigh Library

Come in from the cold with a free hot drink while you enjoy a book at the Southern Lehigh Public Library.

There's nothing like a hot drink on a cold day. In honor of our 50th Anniversary, have one on the Southern Lehigh Public Library! Come in the the Southern Lehigh Public Library any day in February and have a hot drink of your choice in the Page Turner Cafe, inside the library.  Just mention at the circulation desk that you saw this offer on the Upper Saucon Patch and enjoy your choice of coffee, tea, or hot cocoa on the house. Or, on the library.  One drink per person, per offer. Don't forget to check out the Southern Lehigh Public Library's Facebook page.

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