Pike library board to change by-laws

By TOM KANE

MILFORD, PA — The Pike County Public Library (PCPL) board has acceded to the requirements outlined by the Pike County Commissioners and will change its by-laws in order to increase the number of board members.

“We received their response last Thursday, March 4, have turned it over to our solicitor and will give Commissioner Wagner a chance to react to it when he returns from vacation,” said Rich Caridi, chairman of the commissioners.

At its recent meeting, the library board did not publicly reveal the specific changes to the by-laws, but will notify the commissioners first, out of courtesy.

“We have not yet heard from the commissioners who the three members will be but expect a decision soon,” said Maleyne Syracuse, PCPL chairman.

Under the previous agreement, the commissioners appointed only two members. Charlie Eible, the current commissioner appointee who is still serving, will remain on the board if he wishes, Caridi said.

The dispute with the PCPL board originated when county voters turned down, by a three-to-one tally, a referendum that would increase the county’s contribution to the library operations by a million dollars. The public outcry was so great that the commissioners said they could not ignore it.

In a letter on February 2, the commissioners outlined several changes they wanted in the library’s by-laws in order to have a wider representation of board membership among the county’s townships.

The library board was initially resistant but when the commissioners threatened to withhold the $200,000 contribution the county makes each year, the library board acceded.

Since the referendum was so roundly defeated, the library board decided to scrap its plan to build a new $8 million library building, and is now searching in the borough for a new site.

It is expected that the PCPL board will work closely with the Milford Borough in order to pick a location that is in agreement with the borough’s ordinances. The board is at pains not to lose two grants that it planned to use on the new building and its operation. One grant from the state for approximately $1 million from the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program has been extended for an additional year of eligibility.