Editorial: Moving Forward at the Library

Passions run high when it comes to the Great Neck Library, but it appears that the members of the board want to move forward rationally and objectively. While there are a few people who believe that libraries are obsolete, harkening back to the horse and buggy days, there are many, many more who see the value of libraries and the role they play both as a real and virtual gathering place for lifelong learning.

Many of us relished our participation in the school district when we had children in school, attending plays, concerts, sporting events and the like. But then “they” graduated and so did we... with less direct involvement in the activities of the schools.

Local Poets: November 9, 2011

Summer

How can lovers embrace
Our rosebuds
Blossoming under
Starless skies in our parks?

Moonlight sprays the sky
Two sweet plums kissing
In summer dressed arms
Scattering sparrows
From their nests.

Editorial: GNPS Adult Program Open House

Honoring Someone Special – Ronna Telsey

Do come to the Great Neck Public Schools Adult Program Open House for the Arts this Sunday, Nov. 6, from 1 to 5 p.m., at the Cumberland Adult Center, 30 Cumberland Avenue. The Open House is an opportunity for the community to see lifelong learning in action. And, most importantly, this year the open house is a unique opportunity to honor someone very special, Ronna Telsey.

Statement From Great Neck Library Board President Janet Esagoff

Our sincere thanks to everyone who took part in the referendum on Oct. 25, 2011. Although we are disappointed with the results, our goal of renovating our Main Library remains constant. This 40-year-old building must be restored and the Library Board will meet as soon as possible to discuss the options open to them given the results of the vote.

Editorial: In Praise of the Great Neck School District

When the Right Thing is the Hard Thing to Do

Once again the new school year in Great Neck began with a smooth opening and the anticipation of a wonderfully productive school year. “The schools were alive with excitement and activity right from the start,” said Great Neck Public Schools Board of Education President Barbara Berkowitz.

Yet much of the special magic of a new school year in Great Neck was quickly over-shadowed by the news of an alleged SAT cheating scam involving Great Neck students. The resulting, relentless publicity and the constant attempts to bring down our school district were totally uncalled for and completely off base.

Great Neck Notebook: October 26, 2011

Right Here

We are used to reading stories about starving families in places like Bangladesh and Somalia. Hunger on that scale is something that happens “over there.” Wake up America! Hunger, homelessness, and poverty are in our country, in our state, on our county, in our town. It’s around the corner from your home and mine.

The recession has brought many families to their knees. The inability to find work—sometimes for as long as two years—has devastated thousands of average, middle class families. The needy are not just in places like Hempstead and Amityville. They are also in Port Washington, Manhasset, New Hyde Park, and right here in Great Neck.

Consider the Tax Impact Carefully Before You Vote

We, the undersigned, are members of the Board of Directors of the Great Neck Plaza Business Improvement District, a 21-year old organization representing commercial property owners and office and retail tenants in the Village of Great Neck Plaza.  Each of us currently or in the past have owned commercial property or a business in Great Neck Plaza, and several of us live in Great Neck. Over the past several years, all of us have voiced concerns about rising property taxes and the impact they have on business. Now, the Great Neck community is being asked to vote on a 20+ million bond for the expansion and renovation of the main library branch. 

Editorial: The GN Library Referendum: Finally, the Public Can Have a Say

The library has been my “beat” for the last 12 years. It would be fair to say that I have attended more library board meetings than anyone currently on the board with the exception of Marietta Di Camillo. In those years, board members have come and gone and each one exiting has been a happy camper. Recently, a former board member told me that the four years he served were “the worst of my life.”

There is something about the dynamics of a seven-person board that is defeating for the most energetic, motivated and dedicated individual. It is a hard slug. It is a perfect size for factions to form and play out.

Statement from Janet Nina Esagoff, Library Board President, Great Neck Library

(This statement was issued Oct. 12.)

“I have been honored for the past 10 months to serve as the Great Neck Library’s Board president. I, along with my fellow trustees and past boards, have worked diligently toward a better future for the Library, its patrons, and the greater community.

Editorial: Emailing the Great Neck Record

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We look forward to hearing from you!             

- Wendy Karpel Kreitzman