A new home for the library?
PPL to purchase Temple Israel land
By JEFF BESSEN
After several years of seeking a new site, the Peninsula Public Library is expected to purchase just over a half acre of land from Temple Israel in Lawrence for $2.5 million to $3 million to construct a new library.
The library and the synagogue signed a letter of intent on Sept. 1, following several months of negotiations, and issued a joint press release two days later.
Proposed plans call for a three-story, 30,000-square-foot facility, with construction possibly beginning a year from now. The current library, at 280 Central Ave., has 13,000 square feet of space.
The new site is on the front lawn of the Temple Israel campus, at 140 Central Ave., in front of what is called the "old wing." This potential acquistion comes a little more than two months after proposed plans for a library near Zion Park were taken off the table by Lawrence’s decision not to sell the land to PPL.
PPL is also buying two houses on Fulton Street, now owned by the temple, to create more parking -- a huge issue for the current library, .Parking there is limited to 23 spaces. There will be 50 to 60 spaces at the new facility, according to library board President Joseph Fuller.
"There will be adequate parking so we can have programs going on consecutively," said library Director Arleen Reo. "I almost have tears. I grew up in this library."
In PPL's current cramped quarters — which offer the smallest amount of space per capita of any library in Nassau County — several collections have been kept in the basement, out of patron view, Reo said. She also noted that the lack of space has limited the number of programs the library can offer, and that office space for staff and room for computer users is also severely lacking.
After officials at the Jewish Community Center of the Five Towns, which leases part of the temple's property, informed the temple that they had decided not to exercise an option in their lease to purchase part of the land, temple President James Rotenberg said he thought of the library. "I approached some of the folks to take a look at it," said Rotenberg, who described the parcel's location as being in "the heart of Lawrence."
