There is only one question raised by the upcoming vote regarding construction of a new affordable library with vastly improved services for everyone in Manhasset: How could anyone who has considered the issues objectively and intelligently fail to vote in favor?

The current proposal is a well thought-out all encompassing proposal, the result of three plus years of planning by a dedicated and selfless library board, after detailed consideration of hundreds of other ideas and the related issues they pose. While no plan will be viewed as perfect by all residents, the proposal represents the best choice among all available options, and a far better choice than doing nothing, applying a "band-aid" to what exists or otherwise delaying the inevitable need to replace this aging structure which should, as in most every other similarly situated town on the Island, be a center for learning and information for Manhasset and a statement regarding our civic pride.

The town should rest assured that all alternative possibilities have been thoroughly investigated, and have been excluded due to excessive cost, absence of practicality or sheer impossibility. For example, the present site has been selected based primarily on two factors: its central and familiar location and on the prohibitive cost and/or unavailability of alternate sites. For example, the Christ Church building, a popular alternative, doubled in price since the last library proposal was defeated, and has since been removed from the market, a possible candidate for future commercial development.

Many other suggestions have been raised, each of which has been considered in detail by the board, but determined to be incompatible with the goal of developing a reasonably effective information and civic center to serve all constituencies in Manhasset at a reasonable cost. By way of illustration, one suggestion was based on using libraries in elementary and other schools to replace the public library. Such a thought is hardly novel, having been available for consideration by literally hundreds of towns nationwide over several decades.

That thought is always rejected simply because it makes no sense. Would a senior citizen be best served cramming into a child sized desk or table to access a book designed for readers between the ages of 6 and 13? This suggestion ignores the basic fact that school libraries are designed to serve their constituencies, the students. Common books such as fiction novels, advanced books on science, religion and numerous other topics, even simply adult level writings are not, and should not be, included in children's library collections. Such a thought does not even consider many other applicable issues, most notably security questions regarding adults having access to children's schools (which school officials actively try to limit), not to mention space limitations, cost issues, the school board's obligation to serve its student constituency rather than the public at large and many, many more. Clearly these facilities within schools are designed to serve much smaller (pardon the pun) student body and not the entire community. Based on any intelligent and objective analysis, they are not a viable alternative to a public library.

Most importantly, such discussion clouds the issue at hand, which is a choice between retaining the existing outdated and deteriorating facility, and expending a significant cost in doing so without any improvement in service, access or modernity, versus seizing the opportunity to improve the town's major civic asset, a situation that must be addressed and should not be continually postponed or ignored, to provide service and information equivalent to that available to the citizens of surrounding towns. Most importantly we will be doing so at a reasonable cost, prior to costs doubling or tripling again as they will inevitably do, and a point where we can take advantage of the cost savings associated with the most favorable financing rates available to our generation. Do we choose to preserve a relic of '50s technology and '60s construction, architecturally inconsistent with the town (not to mention its misplaced Swiss chalet style neighbor) and evidencing a lack of concern for our civic facilities, or do we embrace a reasonable investment in our town's access to information, a modern, efficient center for use by all constituencies within Manhasset from seniors to adults to students and children.

The time is right for the proposal at hand. The new facility would provide vastly improved service, the elimination of inferior, deteriorating and costly facilities and many improvements associated with more modern construction and design. While no one likes a tax increase, the associated cost is nominal here, on average less than $10 per month, not much different than the cost of a morning stop at Starbucks. It is money well spent on our community and its facilities and will provide a return in value for the community far in excess of the cost. It is a wise and civic-minded investment in our future, and I urge you all to vote favorably for this valuable improvement to our community.

Michael Miller