On Tuesday, District 15 voters will have an opportunity to give the Peninsula Public Library something it has long sought: ownership of the property on which the library sits. If that happens, the PPL may be well on its way to realizing its dream of building a new facility in Zion Park, near the Lawrence train station.
The approval of Proposition 1 on the ballot would mean that the Lawrence school board, which now controls the PPL property at 280 Central Ave., would finally be required to transfer ownership of the land to the library's Board of Trustees, which could then sell the property and use the proceeds for the construction of a desperately needed new library building.
Last year, library officials unveiled architectural drawings for a new facility in Zion Park, across from Village Hall. The structure would be about twice the size of the current library, which was built in the early 1960s. But in order to receive low-cost funding for the project from the New York State Dormitory Authority, the library must hold the title for the property at 280 Central Ave.
We believe transfer of ownership is long overdue, and strongly urge residents to vote yes on Proposition 1.
But a second proposition, added to the ballot by the school board, has library officials - and us - concerned. Proposition 2, which offers two choices, "a" and "b," would take effect only if Proposition 1 is passed, and would determine whether the library would have to pay the school board $818,781 if the library sells the Central Avenue property. Approval of provision "a" would mean the property would be turned over to the library without the fee, while approval of provision "b" would require the library board to pay the hefty fee.
The $818,000-plus is considered compensation to the district for granting the library a 12-foot easement to build a safer driveway. When the district sold the Number One School property, which is adjacent to the library, to New Central Realty in July for $29.2 million, it did not include the easement cost. If the PPL wrests control of the land from the school board, the $818,000-plus payment could be a major stumbling block for the library, which would rely heavily on every dollar realized in a sale of the property to help offset the cost of building a new facility.
We believe the library should be allowed to take ownership of the property without any strings attached, and thus voters should pull the "a" lever under Proposition 2.
Library officials have complained that adding a second proposition only makes the ballot more confusing for voters, and we agree. What remains crystal clear, however, is that the library must have control over its own building, which is a major step toward breaking ground on a new facility.
The need for a new library has been well documented - the cramped parking lot, the narrow and unsafe one-lane driveway for cars both entering and exiting the lot, lack of shelf space for books and meeting space for the community. Voting yes on Proposition 1 would go a long way toward helping the library find a new home, and approving provision "a" of Proposition 2 would mean the library could do it without any financial obligations to the school board.
Ever since 1997, when voters rejected a proposal to build a new library on Rockaway Turnpike in Cedarhurst, the library has been stung by a long list of setbacks as it has tried to escape its now 46-year-old building. We hope this vote finally allows the library to break free of the ties that have bound it to the school board. The facility would finally have its long-sought independence, and a chance to make its plans for a new home a reality.
