In January, the Sewanhaka Central High School District Board of Education voted 5-3 to retain the Alva T. Stanforth (ATS) Junior High School property on Hempstead Turnpike in Elmont and demolish the abandoned school building. Two of the dissenting votes came from the Elmont representatives to the Sewanhaka board, Aubrey Phillips and Deanna Doreson. Both Phillips and Doreson would have preferred to have something that could benefit the community both educationally and culturally. Something like, let's say, a library.

That notion may actually come to fruition. The Elmont Public Library Board of Trustees initiated discussions with the Sewanhaka Central High School District, which owns ATS, for the purchase of part of the land. Now, a contract exists between the Sewanhaka Central High School District and the Elmont Public Library.

Sewanhaka Central High School District Board of Education will vote on the contract, which calls for the district to sell a portion of the ATS land to the Elmont Library in the near future. The library board has already approved the contract.

Since the Elmont Library is a school district library, it also needed the blessing of the Elmont School District Board of Education. That blessing came Tuesday night at the Elmont School Board of Education meeting when the board voted unanimously on a resolution that approves certain agreements required in connection with the Elmont Public Library's new library construction project.

The resolution needed to be passed because the school district will be required to have legal title to the land to be acquired by the library in order to issue tax exempt bonds to pay for the project. The library doesn't have the authority to issue tax exempt bonds, whereas the school district does.

The motion was made by board member Lorraine Ferrigno and seconded by board member Carl Termini. Mrs. Doreson tried to make the motion but was beaten to the punch. Mrs. Doreson had been an advocate for a project such as a new library on the ATS site, as a member of both the Elmont and Sewanhaka boards of education. "I think this is a very positive thing for Elmont," she said.

Mr. Phillips, the Elmont School Board president, also believes the efforts on the part of the library board are a positive step for the community.

Cheryl Lee, a member of the Elmont Public Library Board, thanked the school board for its cooperation in the contract. "For the first time in a while, it seems that Elmont is united about something. The plane is on the runway," she said.

Library trustee Joe Marziotto, who was also in attendance at the Elmont School board meeting, said the new library on the ATS would be double the size of the current facility. A facility on the ATS site would also provide adequate parking, something the current library doesn't have. A new library would benefit the residents of Elmont as well as residents of the Sewanhaka Central High School District who would be getting some money back for a portion of the land.

"It's a win - win situation for the high school district. They're saving at least $3 million and we're improving the area," Mr. Marziotto said.

The Elmont Public Library board is attempting to purchase approximately three and three quarter acres of the 28 acre site. The part the library board wishes to purchase runs through about 35 percent of the ATS building. According to the agreement, the library will undertake the entire demolition at the expense of itself and of the Sewanhaka Central High School District. Once the site is cleared, a new library will be erected. There is a question as to whether the existing auditorium in the ATS building is still salvageable and can be incorporated into the new library design.

The Sewanhaka Central High School District would also build a new driveway and parking lot for the access to the fields since the current parking may be affected by the library project.

Of course, any action would have to be subject to voter approval. Two votes will be required for the project to become a reality. The Sewanhaka Central High School District residents, which includes residents of Elmont, Franklin Square, New Hyde Park and Floral Park, will have to vote on the sale of a portion of the ATS property to the Elmont Public Library. Then, the residents of just the Elmont School District will have to vote on whether to buy the land and build a new library.

Bond counsel for the Elmont School District Marty Geiger said these votes are likely to take place sometime in January.

The next regular meeting of the board of education of the Sewanhaka Central High School District will take place at Sewanhaka High School on Tuesday, Aug. 26. Public session will commence at 8 p.m.