By JOSEPH KELLARD
The Oceanside library proposes to spend $150,000 on capital improvements out of its $3.7 million 2006-07 budget. This increase, up from the $15,000 budgeted for capital improvements last year, will in part fund a structure that will resemble a house on the side facing Fairview Avenue, but will otherwise serve as an auxiliary storage facility for the library.
"We're replacing a dilapidate house that wasn't able to be used," board President Angela Iovino said. "... Really, we're looking 20 years down the line because that storage facility is going to free up some very valuable space within the library that, over the next five, 10, 20 years, we can start turning over to patron use."
The library demolished the house last summer, and their original plan was to extend the existing garden out to the sidewalk on Fairview Avenue. When residents there learned of this plan before the demolition, they formed a committee and began to meet and negotiate with the library. Both sides aimed to reach a compromise before this year's proposed budget was completed.
"The library feels like they're going to be able to go ahead with the plans we wanted them to build," said John Pupa, a member of the Fairview Avenue Residents Committee. "It will look like a house from our side, however, it will have Dutch doors in the backside so the library will be able to use it for storage. I think they said it is going to be 97 percent of the footprint of the old house, which makes us happy. We saw that plan and it looks real good."
The library is currently putting out bids with contractors, Iovino said, so the cost of building the facility is still unknown. Although last year she said the estimated cost was in the $100,000 to $125,000 range, and the demolition alone cost about $17,000. Further, Iovino said that if all goes accordingly, from bids for contractors to the variance process, the library hopes to break ground on the facility by early to mid-summer.
Oceanside's 2006-07 represents a 7.7 percent increase and 7.8 percent increase in the tax levy, the amount of money to be raised by property taxes, and represents about a $20 increase in taxes a year for the average Oceanside homeowner.
The budget will fund a long-range plan to replace the library's computers. "We're not looking to replace all of the computers, but to keep up on a three-to-five-year plan, with technology changing so quickly," Iovino said. "Š So, in each year we'll put the money aside, take out the older computers and replace them and hope to do it in an ongoing revolving door kind of process so the financial hit won't be all in one fiscal year."
Meanwhile, the Island Park Library proposes to add four or five computers under its proposed $1.08 million budget. Computer use has risen 7 percent, and the budget will also provide funds for additional children's programs, which saw a 61 percent increase in attendance last year.
"The budget has addressed this increase because that points to a need in the area, and so we intend to expand in this area," said Director Ronnie Swett, who noted that library circulation has increase 11 percent since last year.
Swett said that what primarily raised the 2006-07 budget, which represents 11.9 percent increase in the tax levy, is building costs, which are a proposed $115,260 after spending $87,323 in this area last year. Fuel costs are tied into building costs. "The biggest thing with everyone is the fuel costs," said Swett, who pointed out that last year's budget showed a 20 percent increase in fuel costs.
Island Park's budget also provides for a museum pass program, which offers free admission to Long Island and New York City museums and other cultural institutions, which the library tested on a limited basis last year, "We put our toe in it this year to test the waters, and we'd like to expand on it now," Swett said.
Incumbent Tom McCreight will run unopposed in an election for the library's Board of Trustees. His seat holds a five-year term. McCreight was first elected to the board to complete the last three years of a trustee's term in 1998, and was re-elected for his first full term in 2001.
Comments about this story? JKellard@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 287.
