N. Merrick Library officials plan renovation work

North Merrick Public Library officials plan to move ahead with revamp plans for the 54-year-old facility, which has never been renovated, said library Director Tom Witt in a release on Monday.

Witt said the library’s Board of Trustees has decided to put forth a plan to renovate and expand the library, which will be subject to a public vote in the spring of 2011. The library does not yet have cost figures for the project. Witt said they would be provided in January 2011.

According to Witt, the proposal is still in the “investigative process,” but the board “is going to go for it.”

“There are a number of reasons why we are scheduling a referendum now,” said board President William Pezzulo. “For one thing, the longer we wait, the more we risk the complete failure of aged building systems, such as the boiler. And as any homeowner knows, if we are forced to make an emergency replacement of our heating system, it will be more costly.”

Library officials said the facility, on Meadowbrook Road, also needs a new roof and windows. According to Witt, the library’s roof continually leaks, and the original windows are drafty and are not energy efficient, adding to the library’s utility costs. The boiler, Witt said, has failed in the winter several times in the past, requiring the library to close until repairs could be made.

Witt also said the board would like to move ahead with renovation plans because of the relatively low cost of borrowing and a decrease in construction costs. “We want to take advantage of favorable interest rates and of construction costs that are significantly lower now than when we asked for estimates two years ago,” said Pezzulo.

According to Witt, circulation at the library has risen more than 10 percent in the last two years, and increased use of the library for events such as school concerts, community association meetings and voting has put pressure on the building. The renovation work would expand the community room, Witt said.

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