When Will Parkland Community Library Relocate to Upper Macungie?

Parkland Community Library has no timetable for its long-planned move from South Whitehall to Upper Macungie, library Executive Director Debbie Jack said Monday.

Library officials had hoped to construct a new 30,200-square-foot building and move in by December 2012, but there has not yet been a groundbreaking. Library officials are still pursuing funding and fund-raising.

"We're at the end of our capital campaign, and we hope to finalize plans sometime within the next year," Jack said. "We're seeking additional funding from grants and foundations types. We'll also see where we're at concerning obtaining financing."

Jack said the library has raised between $3.5 million and $4 million. The library's fund-raising goal is $11 million.

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

"We're not sure what we're doing yet," Jack said. "The board is actually working on some things."

The library, currently at 4422 Walbert Ave. in South Whitehall, is slated to relocate to Grange and Ruppsville roads in Upper Macungie. The library serves Upper Macungie, South Whitehall and North Whitehall townships, and a section of Allentown that is part of the Parkland School District.

The capital campaign for the new building officially kicked off in June 2011.

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.