Battle of the books continues at Five Points
A meeting is planned, but no date has been set as controversy over a library kiosk at the Villages of Five Points continues.
“We replied, suggesting dates to meet, but no meeting has been scheduled,” said Hugh Leahy, president of the Lewes Public Library Board of Commissioners.
On March 23, The Villages of Five Points Board of Directors issued a resolution over a book kiosk the Lewes Public Library placed on its 2-acre parcel of property, stating the structure did not receive proper approval from the association's architectural committee. The resolution included $6,000 in fines with an extra $50-a-day penalty until the structure is removed. The library was given 10 days to respond.
John Eikrem, homeowners association board president, declined to comment when asked for an update on the situation. In a previous response, he said about 50 people of the 584 units in The Villages of Five Points had contacted him against the book kiosk.
The kiosk is a wood-framed structure with three doors for residents to place or return books. Two benches on a paved surface sit next to the kiosk. Leahy said the kiosk was placed there as a community outreach. He said the library was gifted the 2-acre parcel in The Villages of Five Points on Dec. 31, 2012, before a new library was built in Lewes.
In a letter to residents March 16, Eikrem said the 2 acres should revert to the homeowners' association since the library was built elsewhere, and until recently the lot sat empty. By placing the kiosk on the parcel, he wrote, the library might be able to keep the land, preventing it from reverting to the homeowners' association.
He also wrote that the library could eventually sell the property, destroying the beauty of the community.
“Instead of grassy open space, we could see an unsightly commercial building that would spoil the view of our pond and add to traffic congestion,” he wrote.
The fight over the library kiosk is the most recent in a string of projects opposed by the homeowners' association, which includes opposition to a gym proposed in 2017 and more recently an assisted living facility proposed on Old Orchard Road, all on parcels of land near The Villages of Five Points.
