When: Lancaster City Council committee meeting, March 26.
What happened: Mayor Danene Sorace and council President Amanda Bakay made comments in support of the Lancaster Public Library and its Drag Queen Story Hour Saturday, March 23 that was canceled over bomb threats.
Bakay: “What happened on Saturday didn’t have to happen. I’m incredibly disappointed, but not necessarily surprised that some of our other countywide elected officials promoted some hateful ideas about what was allegedly going to happen at this event, that was reading books to children, and inciting threats and violence in doing so. And we like to say that ‘hate does not have a home here,’ but sadly it does live next door. And I know we have a lot of work to do, but I am committed to doing that work with the LGBTQ community in helping them feel as safe as possible.”
Sorace: “Those threats disrupted the lives of thousands of residents and visitors, our local business community and wasted precious public resources. These threats, as you know, specifically targeted the LGBTQ+ community, the media and our public library, and I just want to reiterate that use of fear in manipulating control of our community is not going to be tolerated in the city of Lancaster. I know that council joins me in affirming this message, as well as the message to our LGBTQ+ community and our fantastic library.”
Safer streets: The state’s Commonwealth Financing Authority has granted the city $450,000 for its Water Street Bicycle and Pedestrian Boulevard project, Sorace announced. The project designed for Water Street between Conestoga and Hazel streets would add raised intersections and ramps that are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, safer crosswalks, rapid-flashing signals for when pedestrians are at crosswalks, and “an essential north-south connection” to the city’s bike-lane network as part of its Vision Zero program to eliminate traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries by 2030.
Quotable: The project needs more money “to bring to fruition, but this is a really healthy start,” Sorace said.
Pandemic-relief funds: Council voted 7-0 to redistribute $1.7 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to four affordable housing projects and separately, $300,000 in ARPA funds for critical housing repairs.
Waiting list: Bakay said that at the last council meeting “we heard descriptions of a waiting list” for the city program offering grants for critical repairs of affordable housing.
Quotable: “I do agree,” responded council member Ahmed Ahmed, who introduced the ordinances, “this is going to help families stay in their homes and allow them to have grant dollars towards projects that will preserve affordable housing throughout the city.”
Next meeting: City council will hold a committee meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday.
