Now that the Town of North Hempstead Board of Zoning and Appeals has granted its approval, sometime in the next few months the residents of Great Neck will be called upon to make a critical decision that will have a major impact on the quality of life and future of our community.
I am referring, of course, to the public referendum on the plan and bond issue for a desperately needed renovation of the main branch of the Great Neck Library.
Designed in the late 60’s, and built in 1970, the building is in terrible shape and totally inadequate in terms of contemporary library design and technology. All you need do is pay a visit to the Port Washington or Manhasset libraries to understand just how lacking our facility is.
The truth is that we have the largest library collection on Long Island, the largest circulation of any library on Long Island, the most extensive branch system of any library on Long Island, and perhaps the most antiquated and shabby library building on Long Island.
After many years of deliberations and planning, the board of trustees of the library has come up with a sensible, reasonable and affordable plan to renovate the main branch. We’re not talking about a “Taj Mahal,” but rather a functional, efficient, environmentally-friendly building that will meet the community’s needs for years to come. The cost is approximately $23 million which translates into a library tax increase of about $100/year for a house appraised at $1 million.
Undoubtedly, there will be opponents of the project who will say that in the digital age there is no longer a need for libraries and others who will decry its cost in these tough economic times.
A modern library is more than just a collection of books and our library system in Great Neck provides a wide range of services and programs. The new building will allow for the library to offer even more, especially in the areas of computers and other technology and maybe, most important, greatly expanded and improved children’s facilities and programming.
And the cost of our project is comparable or less than similar ones undertaken by other Long Island communities, almost none of which maintain the expensive branch system that we do.
What this really comes down to is a decision point as to what kind of community we want to be. Great Neck has always been known for the quality of our schools, parks and library.
Do we want to continue on a path of mediocrity, letting the jewels of our community wither away?
Yes, we are a changing community with a much more heterogeneous population with each new group having its own needs.
The library is one place where all the communities of Great Neck come together and it has done a magnificent job in providing resources and materials for everyone. Now is the time when a first-class library is needed more than ever and we must all work together to make it happen.
I am proud to working with the Committee for a 21st Century Library in Great Neck, the group which will be leading the advocacy for the project. The chairman and lead spokesman for the referendum campaign is Andrew Greene, immediate past president of the Board of Trustees of the Great Neck Library, and he is joined by all the other past presidents. Mischa Schwartz, another past president, and his wife Charlotte, are running the day-to-day campaign operations. To succeed, however:
We need people from all segments of the community to get involved in this campaign; join the committee and come to our meetings;
Help spread the message about the referendum and the concern over the future of our community to all your friends and family; convince them to get involved too;
Consider making a contribution to the committee to help us pay for the production of materials, advertising, mailings, etc. There are no public funds available; we have to fund this campaign ourselves.
If you have any questions or would like to get involved, make a contribution (contributions should be made out to the Committee for a 21st Century Library in Great Neck and mailed to 35 Arleigh Rd, Great Neck, NY 11021 or just have some good ideas, please contact Charlotte and Mischa Schwartz at 516/466-6076 or Mcschw66@aol.com.
I cannot over-emphasize how important this is to the future of Great Neck.
Steven Markowitz
Great Neck
