Elmont Public Library Director Janis Schoen is hoping Christmas comes a little bit late this year - January to be exact. That's because on January 21, residents of not only Elmont but all residents of the Sewanhaka Central High School District, which encompasses Elmont, Franklin Square, Floral Park and New Hyde Park, will be voting on a referendum crucial to the new Elmont Public Library project.

Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. at residents' home elementary schools. There will be two propositions on the ballot. The first proposition will ask residents of Elmont, Franklin Square, New Hyde Park and Floral Park if they favor selling 3.745 acres of the 21-acre Alva T. Stanforth (ATS) property on Hempstead Turnpike in Elmont to the Elmont Public Library for $3 million, which will pay for the removal of the asbestos and lead, demolition of the ATS school building and the construction of a road and parking lot to service the ATS property athletic fields, which are still used by the Sewanhaka Central High School District.

This referendum must take place since the ATS property is currently owned by the Sewanhaka Central High School District.

A second proposition will be voted on by residents of the Elmont School District only and will ask residents if they favor the construction of a new Elmont Public Library on a portion of the ATS property at a cost of $14.5 million.

In order to educate the public on the library project, the Elmont Public Library has scheduled three informational meetings for Saturday, Dec. 13 at 1 p.m.; Sunday, Jan. 11 at 3 p.m. and Tuesday, Jan. 13 at 7:30 p.m. in the Knickman room of the main library, located at 1735 Hempstead Turnpike in Elmont.

Proponents of the project believe there are several benefits to the project. For one, Elmont will receive a larger facility. According to Schoen, the Elmont Public Library services over 49,000 people. The current library building is 27,000 square feet. The proposed library is 55,051 square feet and able to handle a greater number of patrons.

The new facility will also solve the parking problem that exists at the current library, which provides a 20-car parking lot. The proposed library project includes parking for 208 cars.

The plan also calls for the preservation of the existing ATS auditorium, which will be transformed into a 450-seat theater that can be used as a culture center, providing a venue for local theater, music and dance groups.

However, some may view the biggest benefit of the project to finally be a solution to ATS building, which has stood abandoned for 18 years on Hempstead Turnpike in Elmont. The building has become an eyesore in Elmont, hasn't served the public and actually costs taxpayers of the Sewanhaka Central High School District money for minimal upkeep.

The first proposition calling for the sale of a portion of the property to the Elmont Public Library figures to pass since the eight Sewanhaka Board of Education members (two from each the component school districts of Elmont, Franklin Square, Floral Park and New Hyde Park) supported the agreement to sell a part of the ATS property.

There is also a reason to be optimistic that the residents of Elmont will approve the new library project. Many residents of Elmont have advocated for the use of the ATS property for educational purposes and a new library would certainly fit the bill. Elmont residents also have a recent history of supporting education. This past June, voters in Elmont passed the school budget by a 1,029 to 652 margin.

Residents who support the project also hope the recent trend of Long Island residents investing tax dollars in library expansion and construction projects continues. This past June, residents of West Hempstead approved a $9.975 million referendum to build a new West Hempstead Library and residents of Franklin Square passed a $2.24 million bond to expand the Franklin Square Library in 1998.