Great Neck Library trustees on Thursday authorized the state Dormitory Authority to oversee the issuance and reimbursement of the library’s $10.4 million capital bond for renovations to its Main Branch.
Up to $10.4 million in bonds will be issued through the Dormitory Authority, according to the board’s approved resolution, but the board set a maximum $11.2 million cost estimate for projects involved in the capital plan.
Neil Zitofsky, the library board’s business manager, said costs that exceed the bond would be covered by the library’s building fund.
Zitofsky said debt service to the bond would be paid off using 35 percent of overall library tax bills collected in the first two years of the 20-year repayment schedule.
The board in June agreed to issue the bond through the Dormitory Authority, rather than the Town of North Hempstead’s Business and Tourism Development Corporation.
Voters approved the bond in a November 2013 referendum.
Trustees have said the renovations, which include a new roof, insulated windows, a revamp of the building’s HVAC system and new lighting, is expected to result in a year-long closure of the Main Branch.
Construction is expected to begin in November.
The library’s capital plan was designated as a Type 2 action as part of the State Environmental Quality Review Act, meaning construction would not have an adverse impact on the environment.
In other developments:
• Library trustees will also seek a state library construction grant to replace the clerestory windows at the Main Branch.
The project is expected to cost between $93,000-95,000 and wasn’t included in the bond because it was considered too large an expenditure, said interim library Director Laura Weir.
• The board also issued a request for proposal to create a committee seeking a permanent library director.
Weir, who was named interim director following the resignation of former Director Jane Marino in 2012, announced in early August that she would retire at the end of the year.
