But in order to supply these important services, a library needs adequate resources. For years, the Peninsula Public Library has struggled to do all it can for the residents of District 15 in an outdated building with very little space and a dangerously narrow driveway.
Last year, library officials unveiled a visionary plan for the library's future, which includes moving it to a new building in the park adjacent to the Lawrence LIRR station and selling the existing Central Avenue site. The library recently modified its proposal in response to concerns expressed by Lawrence village officials. Now it's time for the village board to approve the library's plan. It's also time for the Lawrence school board, which owns the land on which the present library sits, to put the public good ahead of its endless squabbling and help the library make this plan a reality.
According to the Nassau Library System, the Peninsula Public Library has the second-lowest square footage per capita in Nassau County - its 13,000 square feet serve a population of 34,432, which translates to only 0.38 square feet of library space per resident. In comparison, the neighboring Hewlett-Woodmere Public Library has the most space per capita in the county, with 54,000 square feet for District 14's population of 20,265, or 2.66 square feet per resident.
The plan to move the library to Zion Park serves the interests of the school district as well as the library. When the district shuttered the Number One School, which is adjacent to the library, PPL officials lobbied the district to give them a 100-foot-wide swath of the school property on which to expand and improve access. But the district is currently trying to sell the school property and, insisting it would not realize enough money from the sale of the school unless it sells the entire plot, the school board has turned a deaf ear to PPL's entreaties. It's hard to fault the district, which has been operating on a contingency budget since 2003, for wanting to maximize the proceeds of a sale.
Moving the library to Zion Park isn't merely consistent with the school board's plans for the Number One School site, it would actually enhance them. With the library moved to the park, the district could market the school property and the library property together, maximizing the value of both.
The sale of the combined property would, in turn, help to fund the construction of a splendid new library. Of course, the district could always sell or lease the library property separately and make those funds available to PPL, but we can't imagine why district officials would want to go that route.
What would all this accomplish? For one thing, the existing school/library property will be returned to the tax rolls. Sitting as it does in the midst of the many co-op apartments that line this portion of Central Avenue, a luxury residential development is likely, adding many millions of dollars of assessed value to the district's and the village's tax rolls. The footprint of the proposed new library building will barely impact the under-utilized park, using only 5 percent of the park's green space, while all of the access and much of the parking is already in place. The park's existing 3,000-square-foot playground would remain untouched.
Let's face it, for a wealthy community that values learning, the Peninsula Public Library is an embarrassment. The unfortunate political realities in District 15 these days mean that every major decision is analyzed in terms of how it will benefit the "public-school community" versus the "private-school community." This proposal is a win-win deal for every resident of District 15 and the Village of Lawrence regardless of where your children go to school.
It's time for the village and school board to work together to make the library's move to Zion Park a reality. Please, give our community the library it deserves.
