By Brian Zanzonico
Looking as wide-eyed as a first-time visitor to Times Square, he walked with his two school-age children through a quaint study area illuminated by brass desk lamps that make it look more Ivy League than public library, to a horseshoe-shaped nook at the rear of the first floor dotted with more than a dozen Hewlett-Packard flat-screen PCs. As his children, ages 7 and 4, rushed over to the computers, Germain said he expects the new 57,000-square-foot library will be a like a second home to him and his children.
"It's absolutely beautiful," he said. "It will do wonders for the local kids. I look forward to bringing my kids on a regular basis and maybe do some volunteer work myself."
The Germains were among more than 1,000 Elmont residents who came to the new Hempstead Turnpike library last Sunday to get a first look at what many are already calling the town's hub, a community center where people of all ages will gather. To mark the occasion, the library was open for a day-long program that included live music, arts and crafts and Dr. Seuss readings for children, face painting, teen poetry and a presentation on the construction of the building. While most kept busy by attending the various events, some just took the time to get acquainted with the facility, which was named to honor the men and women who have died serving our country.
"I almost can't believe this is ours," said Mildred Santo, a 30-year resident of Elmont who took her time strolling through the two-story structure. "It's going to take a while to find out where everything is, and I look forward to it."
The grand opening was a mere formality, library director Trina Reed said, as the library was still a week away from officially opening. With the exception of a few scattered books, shelves were bare, as movers had yet to transfer materials from the current library up the road. Reed said she expected books to be delivered and the library's wireless Internet capabilities to be up and running by Sept. 18. Until then, the new building will be closed.
"We promised a Sept. 10 celebration and didn't want to take it back," Reed said. "But if we opened this week and didn't have books and laptop functions, people would get frustrated."
Designed by Angelo Corva & Associates with an abundance of windows, the library's entire first floor is illuminated with natural light. To the right of the main entrance, a large main book area, tables, a reference desk, young adult area, audio visual area and art display wall take up nearly a quarter of the floor space. Beyond the main book area are computer stations, a magazine area, adult reference desk and the computer horseshoe.
To the left of the main entrance is a children's library with an audio visual area, a story room, craft room and book stacks. Just beyond the children's section is the centerpiece of the new building, a 450-seat theater built on the foundation of the old Alva T. Stanforth building, which occupied the site for decades. Reed explained that the library signed a contract with the Broad Hollow Theater Group, which will stage regular productions, and said that classical, jazz and opera concerts were also planned.
"The hope of the auditorium is that it will provide more cultural enrichment," Reed said.
Along the northwest corner of the first floor, next to the auditorium, are adjoining meeting rooms. The second floor has another meeting room, staff offices, a reference office and a room dedicated to local history.
Josephina Piazza is well acquainted with Elmont history, having lived in the area more than 50 years. Since it is within walking distance of her home, Piazza said, the new library will give her the freedom to meet up with friends whenever she chooses. "It's very nice," she said. "I want to be here, with other senior citizens."
Elmont School District Superintendent Al Harper said that the children enrolled in local schools were given a gift when the public passed a $14.5 million bond to build the new facility. It's a gift he said he hopes spans generations. "If you give a child a book, he'll learn to read it," Harper said. "Give him a library, and he'll be a lifetime reader."
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