On Wednesday, Jan. 21, the public gave the Elmont Public Library the green light to build a new facility. Now, the library must go through the process of getting its plans approved by the New York State Education Department (NYSED).

The library first has to close the sale for the property with the Sewanhaka Central High School District. Approval has to come from the Nassau County Planning Commission to subdivide the property since some of the property will remain property of the school district and some will be turned over to the library in the sale.

Business manager for the Elmont Public Library Frank Marino estimates that the project could get on the calendar for the Nassau County Planning Commission in March.

Once the lot is divided, the library can close the sale with the Sewanhaka School District. According to Marino, the library then has to file its plans with the NYSED. The library will most likely submit their plans in two parts with one plan addressing the demolition (with the exception of the frame of the auditorium, which will remain intact) and the other plan addressing the construction.

The library will be submitted with two separate plans because the state may approve the demolition plan quicker than it would the construction plan since the state is backed up in reviewing construction plans.

The state could take 24 weeks to approve a construction plan.

Mr. Marino anticipates having a demolition plan to submit to the state within two months and in four months, have the plans and specifications ready for the building, which will then be sent to the state for approval.

Demolition of the building could begin before the plans and specifications for the construction of the new building is approved by the state.

Mr. Marino said if everything goes according to plan, the building will be taken down in the summer. If the state takes six months to approve the plans for the construction, bids will probably not be awarded until 2005.

Once approval comes from the state, the project will go out to bid. The bidding process is expected to take another month to a month and a half.

Mr. Marino estimates that construction will not begin until February or March of 2005. The new library could take 12 to 14 months to construct, which means the new library won't be ready until 2006.

The architect the library has chosen for the project is Angelo Francis Corva & Associates Architects, located in Manhasset. Among the firm's recent projects was the new Massapequa Medical Arts building on Route 107 in Seaford. Another one of the firm's projects is the new skilled nursing facility at Mercy Medical Center in Rockville Centre. The firm also formulated the design plans for the additions to the Elmont Schools.

As far as the building that currently houses the Elmont Public Library, it would revert back to the Elmont School District since the Elmont Public Library is a school district library.