The May 2 Hellertown Council meeting saw several items of interest addressed, but once again the primary topic was the future of the relationship between the borough, Lower Saucon Township and the Hellertown Area Library (HAL).

Council President Thomas Rieger first apologized to his fellow council members for not initially including them in an informal April 13 summit, organized by Christ Lutheran Church’s Rev. Philip J. Spohn, which included borough Mayor David Heintzelman, HAL President Ken Solt and representatives from Lower Saucon Township.

Rieger characterized the meeting as generally unproductive and said Lower Saucon Council President Jason Banonis’ proposal to “regionalize” library services (through a hypothetical partnership with the Southern Lehigh Public Library, despite their stated disinterest in pursuing such) was vague and lacking details.

Rieger added that if Lower Saucon’s proposal was serious, the municipalities should “do [it] the right way” and establish a formal committee to further discuss and explore other options. Any structural changes to their agreement with HAL - and any other potential partners - should be considered in a “15 month conversation, not a 30 minute [one],” he said.

Other council members expressed their support for Rieger’s position, with Gil Stauffer saying “Lower Saucon came to the table with no details… they haven’t even paid their [HAL] dues. I don’t give it any credibility.”

Rieger suggested the borough and library consider closing the metaphorical door on the partnership. He said, “The community needs closure, one way or the other. [HAL] was here before Lower Saucon Township [joined], it’ll be here after. The Hellertown community is going to step up.”

Ultimately, a formal motion was made by council member Andrew Hughes to decline inclusion in any subsequent negotiations with the township. It was seconded by Stauffer and passed unanimously.

Furthermore, Rieger suggested it was time to “take a hard look at terminating the rest of our relationships” with Lower Saucon, which include inter-municipal agreements like the Saucon Valley Partnership and deals on the Saucon Valley Compost Center and discounted rates for Lower Saucon residents at the Hellertown Pool.

“We’ve been talking about this now for well over six months [and] it’s not getting any better,” Rieger said. He continued “at the end of the day our focus should be on our residents.” The council then approved a motion to authorize the Solicitor Michael Corriere to explore the formal reconsideration of the various affiliations.

In other news, the Hellertown Pool will soon be a step closer to being ready to welcome patrons this summer, as the council voted to accept a bid of $656,467 from CMG of Easton for improvements to the facility’s concessions stand and restrooms.

Council also further discussed a proposal from Fountain Hill officials to allow its residents to purchase Hellertown Pool passes at resident rates, with reimbursement for the difference from the neighboring borough.

Hellertown requested maintenance assistance from Fountain Hill’s public works department, but borough Manager Cathy Hartranft said they declined due to legal concerns. However, Fountain Hill countered with an offer for an additional administrative fee instead of manpower, she said, to which Hellertown is asking for an added 10 percent.