Voters apparently rejected Parkland Community Library leaders’ second attempt to secure funding for a new $14 million library, according to unofficial election results.
With 79 percent of precincts reporting at 11 p.m. Tuesday, 55 percent of voters in the Parkland School District voted against paying for a new 30,000-square foot facility in South Whitehall Township. It would have replaced a 5,400-square foot building that has served the community since 1981.
Debbie Jacks, the library’s executive director, expressed disappointment in the preliminary results.
Jacks thanked the volunteers who advocated for the new facility, as well as David and Jackie Jaindl, who donated the land at 4240 Orefield Drive.
“We have no plans to pursue another referendum in the near future but we will continue to work hard to provide the best services we can in a very limited facility,” Jacks said.
In 2013, voters soundly rejected the proposal to build a library on Grange Road in Upper Macungie for roughly the same tax hike.
Residents had to decide if they were willing to put up with an additional 0.18 mills to the special library tax, raising it to 0.28 mills. In dollars, that means an increase of about $48 a year for the average home assessed at $270,000.
Library officials believed the new South Whitehall location would be a better sell for voters because the spot was more centrally located. They also said they were making a greater effort to explain the needs for a larger location to voters.
There were about 10,000 library items in storage for the cramped Walbert Avenue site. It underwent a renovation last year, but officials said they focused on work that could be transported to the new location.
The library serves South Whitehall, North Whitehall and Upper Macungie townships.
Parkland Library referendum
Yes 44%
No 55%
NOTE: Unofficial results with 79 percent of precincts reporting.
