BY JOHN NUGENT
The Great Neck Public Library Board of Trustees held its reorganization meeting virtually on Jan. 5, choosing Weihua Yan and Liman Mimi Hu to continue as president and vice president, respectively.
Barry Smith was named secretary and Chelsea Sassouni was elected as treasurer. Also, Scott Sontag will become assistant treasurer and Josephine Mairzadeh second assistant treasurer.
Board members noted the challenges brought about by the COVID19 pandemic in 2020 as they endeavor to provide a safe environment for people to use library services.
Rebecca Miller said, “The library is focused on doing the best it can with the resources it has for the community.”
“The library is in a very sound financial position,” said Yan. He added, “The lessons learned will help the library to move forward.”
Miller praised Yan’s work, saying: “Wei has been a conscientious leader and a caretaker of this vital asset that we all care so much about. He has put momentum into ongoing projects.”
Interim Library Director George Trepp outlined plans for renovation projects at the Station and Parkville branches. Both facilities will be undergoing major interior redesigns this year.
Invitations have been sent to potential bidders for construction, furniture and moving contents out of the buildings while the work is underway. Walk-throughs are scheduled at the Station Branch for movers on Jan. 15 and for general contractors on Jan. 19.
Work on the Station Branch is expected to begin in late March and be completed in early August. The Parkville project is scheduled to run from August to late December.
In addition, plans for new landscaping at the Main Building have been approved. The architect will present his plans to the board on Jan. 19. Awaiting final approval are plans for a new children’s playground, also at the main library.
In a response to a question about the resumption of open meetings, board attorney Peter Fishbein anticipated that it might take at least three months before that might happen. He said that much depends on the distribution of a vaccine, “which is lagging far behind what we had hoped for.” Until then, referring to virtual meetings, Fishbein said, “we should plan to meet in this fashion.”
