The Memorial Library of Nazareth & Vicinity was honored for being named Pennsylvania Library of the Year for 2020 at the Borough Council meeting on November 2.
The award is presented to a library that has exhibited excellence in service to the public or academic community, advancing staff development, innovation in a special project or challenge, and leadership and support in the Pennsylvania Library Association.
The Memorial Library of Nazareth & Vicinity has done just that during the current pandemic. At the start of the pandemic, library staff worked from home to support the community. They also offer curbside pick-up and online programming for patrons; in the last week, library staff held two online programs with over 300 participants.
Borough residents voiced speeding concerns on High Street at last month’s council meeting. The police department conducted traffic studies in the area and found an average speed of 37.8 mph; they gave out three citations out of 600 cars.
Additionally, police department staff looked at the intersection of Broad and High Streets, where there was concern about drivers rolling through the stop sign. This study yielded only two citations and one DUI.
Lauren Bertucci from the Nazareth Area Chamber of Commerce was present at the meeting to discuss a new idea for Christmas in Nazareth this year. The chamber plans to bring in several local businesses, who are located outside the downtown, like they did for Fall Fest. Council approved a motion allowing the corner of Center Square where the chamber is located to be closed off for the event to allow pedestrians to walk and businesses to have enough space.
The skate park will be closing on December 1 and will reopen in the spring. Councilman Charles Donello also stated that the yard waste facility will close on November 30. He reported that he had received a complaint about cement dust build up again; a few councilmembers echoed this concern. The issue has been taken care of before, but council will address it to get to the bottom of the situation.
The borough council passed a motion that will revise park rules. Park hours will now be sunrise to sunset, with the exception of the soccer team that has permission to stay later for practice. Also, there will be no overnight parking.
Councilman Carl Fischl was named the temporary Code Enforcement Officer until a permanent replacement can be found.
Nazareth Borough Council will have their next meeting on Monday, December 7 at 6 p.m.; as of this moment, it will be in-person, but it could change due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
