$638,000 total funds were available in December 2004.
$293,000 were in restricted designated funds
These funds were broken down as follows:
$ 10,000 = the piano fund
$ 72,000 = repairs
$122,000 = retirement reserve
$ 89,000 = capital projects
Photos to follow Tuesday a.m.
Library weighs revamp options
By Laura Lane
Judy Jankolovits has been a reference librarian at the North Merrick Library for 25 years. She often wears sweater sets and wool blazers to tolerate the reference room, which she said is cold year-round.
"You need layers to work here. It gets quite nippy, and the windows leak terribly," said Jankolovits, who added that she had had a space heater until the fire marshal said it was against code.
In summer, Jankolovits said the air-conditioning system, which she can't regulate, makes the room frigid. Jankolovits said, "I wear a coat often working here, and my hands are always cold."
The reference room's inadequate climate-control system is only one example of the many renovations that the North Merrick Library needs, officials said. But in December, the public shot down a $3 million bond proposal that would have funded repairs and upgrades at the library.
Margaret Cincotta, the library director, said the library needs work because it's 48 years old. The former elementary school still has its original roof, boiler, windows and bathroom fixtures, all of which library officials contend need to be replaced.
Taking a look around
Library officials recently gave the Herald a tour of the building to point out what needs work. At its Tuesday, Feb. 15 meeting, the Library Board was to decide whether to put another bond up for a public vote. The meeting was held after press time.
The library's roof has been patched with tar many times to stop leaks. Several parts of the library's ceiling show signs of damage where water got through the roof. The worst destruction is in the children's room, but there are also signs of water leaks in the technical-services room and the vestibule, where the recent snowstorm caused damage.
Those who work in the children's room say it's often drafty. Ilene Leibowitz, head of children's services, said parents regularly complain about the cold since the room's one radiator doesn't throw off enough heat. In the summer, the blinds must be closed because the windowpanes are so thin that the sun beams right through and the room overheats.
Debra Carosella, a library assistant who sits near the windows, said when it rains or snows the windows often leak. "We use rags to put along the base of the windows when they leak," Carosella said. "We usually have to close the blinds and wear sweaters because these windows not only leak, but constantly blow air."
In the technical-services room, books are placed on the upper part of the bottom window to allow the top window to stay open a crack. Otherwise, the bottom window would fly open. Technical-service employees are continually hot.
In the men's bathroom, a urinal has been out of order for two years and can't be fixed. "We had three plumbers in here who say they don't make the flush meter anymore, so we need to replace the entire flush unit," Cincotta said. "We'd have to take down the tile, which the plumber thinks has asbestos behind it. An asbestos report was done by EMTEC, an engineering firm, and they agreed." Cincotta said.
The library director added that the men's and women's bathrooms don't meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards. The men's room is also stiflingly hot, but the women's room doesn't have heat.
Subhead: Community's take
Arthur Venezia, the library's treasurer for 20 years, believes there were several reasons why residents voted against the recent bond proposal. "They just had been hit with a tax increase, and the environment has changed since the Roslyn School District scandal," Venezia said. "There's an outcry not to pay more taxes."
If passed, the bond would have increased taxes for the average North Merrick homeowner by $54 a year, or $4.50 a month. But some in the community said the increase was too much.
Mary Ramo, former president of the North Merrick Community Association, said, "There are old ladies who can't afford to eat, young families who $54 a year they just can't afford. The library isn't being sensitive to the tax implications on us in these trying times. They can [renovate] without increasing taxes."
Ramo recently attended the one library board meeting that was held since the bond's defeat. "I'm not clear on why they need the money," said Ramo, who is a member of the North Merrick School's Lay Budget Committee. She said she has no problem understanding the district's budget.
Ramo said she obtained the North Merrick Library's financial records by filing a Freedom of Information Law request. "Nobody begrudges North Merrick Library replacing the windows, boiler and roof, but why not use the money they already have for it," Ramo said.
She believes the library should pay for one project at a time, starting with the most necessary, which she says is the boiler. "They said the boiler is on its last legs and has safety issues," said Ramo, who believes the library could pay the $140,000 cost for a new boiler with funds it already has in its accounts.
Venezia said the money that Ramo is referring to - some $600,000 - wouldn't cover all the renovations that the library needs, because it must go to other costs at the library. "With that $600,000, we have to cover accounts payable, unused vacation and sick time, and accrued salaries, which reduce this amount considerably," Venezia said. "For example, we have to use approximately $100,000 from the $600,000 this year to balance the budget. You save money because you need it if contingencies come up, like if the roof caved in." The library is insured if this were to happen, but without money in the bank, Venezia believes the library would have to close while it waited 60 days for the insurance company to make funds available.
Venezia noted that the boiler is safe. "But everyone who inspected it said we're feeding oats to a dead horse. It's to be changed; it's had its day," he said.
Replacing the boiler would help reduce energy costs, Venezia said. But he said the boiler shouldn't be replaced without new windows. "If you put in a new boiler with great heat but have windows with single-pane glass, like we have now, the heat goes right out the window," Venezia said. "The radiators are right below the windows."
Lee Sagistano, the library's architect from LAS Associates, said the repairs can't wait. "These repairs should be issued right away. The roof, boiler and windows show signs of deterioration," Sagistano said. "The roof is being patched with Band-Aids."
By law, library officials can't borrow money for renovations on their own. They must seeks funds through a public vote.
Comments? Llane@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 236.
