North Bellmore library makeover gets under way

This summer, the North Bellmore Public Library will reach a new milestone in its highly anticipated renovation and expansion project, as it shifts to a temporary location in anticipation of a late August construction start date.

The library will make its temporary home on the old basketball courts adjacent to 1602 Bellmore Ave. The 3,000-square-foot area will host four trailers, which will hold the library’s most commonly circulated materials, and a 49-space parking lot.

“Of course it won’t be our entire collection, and most of it will be put into storage,” said library Director Tom Bazzicalupo. “But there will still be plenty of materials available for people to take out and enjoy.”

Community activities such as the library’s reading clubs, movie screenings and fitness classes will continue while renovations are under way. Though a location still has yet to be confirmed, Grace Lutheran Church, on Bellmore Avenue, and the Vamps Club, on Newbridge Road, have volunteered to house the activities.

Bazzicalupo, who has worked at the library for 26 years, said that renovations are long overdue, and that members of the community are happy that the project is finally making some progress.

What started as an idea to tackle some of the library’s cosmetic issues turned into a complete renovation after the library board of trustees spoke with architects in 2014. In addition to new carpets and painted walls, the building needed new plumbing and heating, larger spaces for growing departments and a larger community room to accommodate popular activities and programs.

Residents voted on an $8.9 million bond to fund the renovations in May 2015. Plans were sent to the New York State Education Department the following March, architectural plans were approved last August, and mechanical plans were approved in May.

While a reopening date is still to be determined, librarian and North Bellmore resident Jan Curry said that the updates would be worth the wait. “Everyone here is looking forward to it,” she said. “It will be bigger, with much more room for books and DVDs. It really will be so much nicer.”

“The community is having a bit of a makeover,” Bazzicalupo told the Herald at the time of the bond vote. The renovation “would dress up the community and make it a place the community will be proud to have. Even though it’s simple construction, it’s still adding that much more to the building.”

Residents will be given at least a week’s notice before the library moves to its temporary location.

For more information about the project, contact Bazzicalupo at (516) 785-6260 ext. 301.