On Tuesday, June 3, residents of West Hempstead will be voting on a $9.975 million proposal to build a new library in West Hempstead. A bond was put before voters in 2001 to build a new library on the corner of Hempstead Avenue and Woodfield Road. However, that proposal was defeated since residents were concerned over the location.

The new library proposal calls for a 25,000 square foot facility with twice the usable space as the existing facility, which is located in the Chestnut Street School. The new library would be built at 506-14 Hempstead Avenue on the corner of Locust Street, opposite the Mutual Engraving Building.

The new library, if approved, would cost voters $9.85 per month for the average home over the course of the 20-year bond. The $9.975 million bond includes construction costs as well as the cost of moving the current collection to the new facility, outfitting the library with new furniture, and all new technology, such as computers, networking, telephone and office equipment. The budget also includes a contingency amount for unforeseen construction circumstances that may arise, such as extraordinary excavation costs or material price increases.

The library board also estimates that the larger facility will require only a minimal increase in the size of the library workforce. Utility, heating and cooling costs will be offset by an energy-saving program from the Long Island Power Authority, according to the library board.

In addition to being a cost effective project, the library board feels the facility will have adequate parking since the Town of Hempstead has offered to repave, restripe and maintain its 158-space municipal parking lot adjacent to 506-14 Hempstead Avenue to help reduce the land purchase cost and eliminate the need for the library to budget for ongoing parking lot maintenance.

The reason for the new library proposal is because the current library is too small to meet the community's need for essential library services, said library board president Ralph Reissman.

The present library holds more than 90,000 books even though it was designed to carry a maximum of 50,000 books. In addition, vital programs for children, teens, adults and seniors have also been sharply curtailed because of lack of space. Library staff must regularly turn away 2 and 3-year-olds because there's not enough room for them to participate in toddler programs.

The library board feels the new site would satisfactorily address these major space constraints, provide adequate community meeting space and quiet reading rooms, provide West Hempstead with state-of-the-art technology resources and modern information systems and comply with the building standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Residents will vote on the West Hempstead School District budget and the bond to build a new West Hempstead Library on June 3, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the gymnasium of West Hempstead Middle School on Nassau Boulevard.