By Laura Lane
Mack held the meeting to offer residents a chance to voice their opinions on a petition, signed by about 100 residents, that led to the proposition. If the proposal were to pass, the library could close.
The proposition seeks to return use of the library building to the North Merrick School District for educational purposes. The issue was heatedly discussed at prior library board meetings, as well as Board of Education meetings. A number of people said the proposition's wording confused them.
Jackie Thresher, director of the Nassau Library System, was on hand to discuss the possibilities of what might happen if the proposition were to pass. "The school district would have no more control over the library than they do today on programs," said Thresher. "And the library's existence wouldn't end if the school decided to take over the building. The library would need to find a new space."
She added that the school district holds the title to the library, and that the library is funded solely by local taxes. "If the library couldn't find a place to move to,² Thresher said, ³the library board would have to apply for a [state] waiver request to get an extension so their charter isn't pulled."
No one at the meeting admitted to starting the petition, but some who signed it spoke about their decision to do so. All said they feared overcrowding at North Merrick's three elementary schools.
But others disagreed, saying they didn't believe the issue of overcrowding was dire. "If the board knew we needed more space for our children, they would have told us long before this petition was signed," said one man. "I think both boards, the library and school, need to get together to discuss this issue."
One resident wondered why a study hadn't been done by the district to see if the space issue would become unmanageable in the near future. "BOCES will do a demographic study to see what the trend is, and what the number of children in the classrooms will be,² she said. ³Until we have a study that says that we won't have space, I don't want to open another school. It may not be necessary long-term."
All of the North Merrick school trustees except Karen Repole attended the meeting. Only board Vice President Linda Fuller responded to residents. Regarding a demographic study, she said that North Merrick's Census Bureau statistics would be impossible to get. "The census gathers information by zip code, and we can't do that in North Merrick because we don't exist," since North Merrick shares a zip code with Merrick, said Fuller. "There is no way to do a true census to know what is coming up. Seven years ago, we had the same problem and got volunteers to go from house to house. Gathering a census isn't as easy as you think."
The resident disagreed, saying that a demographic study is different than a Census Bureau study and could be done in North Merrick.
Fuller also responded to residents' accusations that the school board was somehow behind the proposition. "We had no choice but to put the proposition on the ballot," she said. "Our attorney told us it was a valid petition, and we had to put it on for a vote. This proposition has never been discussed by the Board of Education."
Later in the evening, Fuller shared her feelings as a private citizen regarding the possibility of the library closing. "I'm passionate about the library; I'm a teacher," she said, visibly moved. "I think the school district can do other things to solve the space issue. This proposition is separate from the budget. Please remember that our No. 1 objective is the passage of our budget."
Comments about this story? LLane@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 236.
