New Parkland Community Library Hopes to Break Ground in Fall

A tentative late fall groundbreaking date has been set for construction of the new Parkland Community Library, which will relocate from South Whitehall to Grange and Ruppsville roads in Upper Macungie Township.

Karl Siebert, president of the library's Board of Directors, announced the timetable while speaking at library volunteer appreciation luncheon Friday afternoon at Lehigh Carbon Technical Institute in Schnecksville.

"It's the first time we've said that," Seibert told members of the library board, volunteers and assembled guests.

Siebert said the library's capital campaign for the new building, which officially kicked off in June 2011, has netted close to $3.5 million, or about 25 percent of the goal.

The contract with Upper Macungie Township states the library must raise half of the projected $11.5 million construction cost before groundbreaking can take place.

"That's closer to $13 million now," Siebert said.

A $9 million to $10 million financing plan will be put into place by the library's board of directors in late June, Siebert said. If all goes well, the loan will be secured in the fall and groundbreaking will begin in late fall.

"We have financial professionals in place, because we want to make sure we are doing everything correctly," Siebert said.

Seibert said construction will take 14 months from start-to-finish, so an opening in early 2015 is possible.

Upper Macungie Township is leasing the 12 acres of land to Parkland Community Library for $1 per year.

"[Upper Macungie Township] has been great supporters to the library," Siebert said.

The library serves Upper Macungie, South Whitehall and North Whitehall townships, and a section of Allentown that is part of the Parkland School District.

Siebert said the capital campaign received corporate donations from an Air Products foundation ($50,000) and from Ocean Spray ($10,000).

In addition, an RACP grant from Lehigh County netted $300,000.

Siebert said naming opportunities within the library exist for businesses to get recognized and a 'name a brick' funding campaign is also in the works.

"We'll have different milestones over the next six months," he said. "We'll try to do something each month."

The new library will include quiet study areas, private tutoring rooms, computer work stations, a separate children's room, a cafe, free Wi-Fi, video conferencing rooms that will be available to clubs and civic organizations and space to grow its collections of books, DVDs and audio books.

Donations can be made online at www.parklandlibrary.org.