Amity appears in the offing in Milford library flap

Work sessions between interested parties are ongoing

By TOM KANE

MILFORD, PA - All the players have sat down and begun working together in the dispute over the architectural design of the new public library in Milford.

“Our last workshop in March was very productive,” said Maleyne Syracuse, president of the Pike County Library Board of Directors and the chairwoman of the building taskforce.

Around the table were representatives of the library board (LB), the Borough of Milford Architectural Review Board (ARB) and the Borough of Milford Council (BMC). The meeting was not open to the public as will be the case at the next meeting on Monday, April 21. Since the library is not a government body and is a 501c3 non-profit organization, it does not come under the rules of the state sunshine laws, Syracuse said.

Up to this time, 14 public meetings were held over the last year, she said.

The library board requested permission from the borough council to apply out of sequence for a certificate of appropriateness from the ARB on financial hardship grounds. The council granted the permission.

“Usually the certificate of appropriateness is the final step after getting the septic permit,” she said. “If we did the septic system and there was a problem with it, we would not have the money to do it over. It could cost us an additional $100,000 if we had to do the plans all over again.”

The borough council, which makes the final decision on the library construction, urged the three groups to hold joint working sessions in order to solve all the problems about the architectural design.

“Now we know that the issues are not insurmountable,” Syracuse said. “We are trying to find a compromise that is acceptable to all.” Decisions made at the sessions are not binding on any party, she said.

Syracuse admitted that there were still differences of opinions. “We want to come to an accommodation,” she said.

“I’m not against having the workshop session closed to the public and the press,” said Kevin Stroyan, chairman of the ARB who did not attend the workshops. “Just as long as they get the job done and submit an application to the ARB so we can react to it. As long as there is no quorum of ARB members, the sunshine law doesn’t apply.”