On Dec. 12, Plainview and Old Bethpage residents approved the library's $5,163,317 bond referendum, which is equal to $42 per year for an average house assessed at $7,500 for 15 years, by a 871 yes to 631 no margin.

Construction, which is expected to take one year, will begin late spring of 2002. Under the plans, the family center will be expanded and a lecture/program facility will be added to the east side of the building. The expansion will double the size of the existing family center, which will be expanded to 25 feet to the west with a mezzanine. Also, more computers will be available for residents to access databases that are not available from homes and are needed for school assignments. Bookshelves are needed for special collections that are currently stored in the basement and not readily available to the public and, under the proposal, those bookshelves will be added. Additional shelf space is also needed for Family Sharing books on timely topics such as divorce, drugs and death. The new mezzanine will give the library more room for books. Computers will also be added giving the children six computers and another computer room for research.

The new lecture program facility will have 240 permanent seats, a stage, two conference rooms for meetings and a gallery for exhibits. This new addition will allow the library to present more programs for adults and children as requested by the community. The community also will be able to enjoy film presentations, shows, operas, and concerts in a proper atmosphere. The new expansion provides additional meeting room space for local groups.

"By approving the bond referendum, the community gave us the ability to improve and expand our facility," said Rhoda Orenstein, Plainview-Old Bethpage Library Director. "It has been a long and rewarding process from the day we first started planning and now the work begins. We must produce architectural plans, bid out the various contracts and keep the community abreast of where we stand. For progress updates, please see Library World and the Plainview-Old Bethpage Herald.

"We reached this point with the support of the community, Friends of the Library and many other school and community organizations. We hope to continue to receive support as we enter the big going phase of the project."