The Hicksville Public Library, at a special meeting held Wednesday night, approved revised plans pertaining to the demolition of two Sterling Place homes in an effort to expand upon its current parking situation. Demolition of the homes, which are located in the middle of a residentially-zoned street, is scheduled to begin on Monday, weather permitting.

The revised plans have many who live in the immediate vicinity of the library breathing a sigh of relief. Unlike the original plans, which called for the construction of a one-way parking lot with its entrance on Jerusalem and exit solely onto Sterling, the new plans call for the construction of a two-way lot with a roundabout that would be closed off at Sterling, thereby enabling cars to exit and enter solely from Jerusalem Avenue. As a result, there will be no curb cuts on Sterling Place, which runs north to south between Old Country Road and 2nd Street.

In January 2001, the library purchased 22 Sterling Place for $290,000 and in March of 2002 paid approximately $250,000 for 18 Sterling Place. The cost of the original proposal, which was approved by the State Education Department in May, was estimated at $262,000, plus or minus, and included demolition and construction costs, as well as aesthetic factors such as fencing and shrubbery. This proposal would have enabled the library to keep the current parking lot intact while constructing 18 additional spots in the new lot for a total of 34 spots in all.

According to Ed Casper, an architect with Wiedersum Associates, the new project will cost between $29,000 and $36,000 more to cover the cost of additional asphalt, an ornamental fence around all three sides of the property and arborvitaes to serve as buffers. As a result, the new parking lot will include a total of 30 parking spots - 21 which would be located in the new lot. Currently, the library hosts 16 on-site parking spots

Despite the additional cost, residents present for the meeting stressed to the board their preference for the ornamental fence over a black vinyl or chain-link. "We need to try to keep a residential feel," said one Sterling Place resident. "The ornamental fencing means so much to me. Chain link would be extremely upsetting. We appreciate the landscaping but all the beauty of beautiful and expensive trees would mean nothing if we have to look at a chain link fence."

According to Michael Galgano, board president, the overall cost of the project needs to be taken into consideration. "We are trying to work with you and this board's mission is to serve the entire Hicksville community and that's where the dollars and cents come in. We have an obligation to the entire community. We need to work within our budget and figure out what fits within the budget and try to work with our neighbors as well."

Appreciative of the board's efforts to take the residents' concerns into consideration, Janet Campanella, whose Sterling Place home will directly face the proposed site, said, "We have been living on this block for 27 years and have seen it chipped away bit by bit and the fact that we felt you were not thinking about [the residents] really bothered us. We are very, very, very concerned about the driveway [onto Sterling] and I am happy to see that you have considered that. I believe you heard us and are being sensitive to our concerns. I appreciate the fact that you came up with a plan that is reasonable for all of us."

As a state-affiliated agency, the library did not have to go before the Oyster Bay Town Board prior to acquiring the homes or moving forward with plans for demolition and construction. Due to New York State Education Department laws which allow educational facilities such as libraries to operate under their own special zoning, the library did not have to follow "standard" procedures - such as variance applications, hearings, traffic studies, etc. - regarding zoning.

Having such freedom, however, has residents like Neal Rubinstein, whose home is located on the corner of 2nd Street and Sterling Place, concerned. "This is a beautiful library and I am not against improvements, but I feel [the board] should look elsewhere in the community [to expand.]," said Rubinstein. "There's no doubt in my mind that if [the library board] had the chance, they would take over the whole block. And that's what I am afraid of. I am not trying to stop progress, but little by little I see the library taking over this whole neighborhood."

Since learning of the library's plans, Rubinstein has reached out to local elected officials, including Senator Carl Marcellino and Assemblywoman Donna Ferrara. "I want to fight the state law that allows education systems in New York State, such as the library, to work with impunity and be totally exempt and unaccountable to anyone," said Rubinstein.

Although he cannot guarantee that the library will not look to expand again sometime down the road, Galgano said that there are no plans at this time to purchase any more homes for library use.

According to Sterling Place resident Jean Cody Sterling, it is probable that, down the road, other boards will look to expand by taking over more houses and that meeting the residents' concerns from the beginning will most likely benefit the board in the long run.

"If you set it up from the get-go that Sterling Place is a line of these beautiful bushes you may come up against less problems in the future if the people on the other side of Sterling think 'Okay, at least we are never going to face exits and entrances and the worst case scenario for us losing houses is this beautiful line of trees,'" she said. "But if you start with the exit onto Sterling, it immediately puts us in a position to think 'We cannot lose another house.'"

Library Director Celeste Watman "hopes the residents of Sterling Place will be happy" with the new plans. In an interview with the Hicksville Illustrated, Watman said additional spots will greatly benefit patrons of the library. "The primary complaint of the Hicksville community about the library has been its lack of parking," she said. "Throughout the years, people have either spoken to the board members or written letters of complaint about the lack of parking. When the library had an opportunity to purchase these houses, we saw it as an opportunity to provide the much-needed parking spaces."

While demolition of the homes is scheduled for next week, when construction of the lots will begin is still unknown at this time as the library must submit these revised plans to the state for review.