By:Scott Brinton
Merrick residents could get a new library by the summer of 2003, if all goes well, say library officials.
The Merrick Library Board voted last week to demolish the current 14,000-square-foot library on Merrick Avenue and replace it with a new one that will measure 25,000 to 30,000 square feet, said Walter Mintz, the board president.
Preliminary plans for the new library have been drawn and will be available for public viewing in the near future, said Mintz. Before the board can move ahead with construction, though, its proposal must go to a public vote, which could happen by the end of this year.
If approved, razing the old library and building a new one would take between 18 months and two years, said Mintz. He declined to comment about a price for the new library, saying that the board must meet with architects and planners further before giving a cost estimate.
The new library would roughly double the size of the current facility and would be spread over two floors as opposed to one. It would also increase parking from 30 spaces to 50.
Mintz said, "We intend on having a lot more space for children, children's activities, for seniors, quiet rooms for reading, community rooms, and somewhat more parking. All those things are important."
Officials say the new library is needed to accommodate growing technology needs and increasing library use by the community, as well as to bring the library into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, which requires handicapped accessibility.
The library board also voted down a proposal to close off Narwood Avenue to vehicles in order to build and extend its parking lot. Residents were concerned that shutting the road would disturb neighborhood traffic patterns, sending a heavier volume of cars into surrounding streets.
Mintz also noted that a gasoline spill at the adjacent Exxon station caused library officials to rethink closing Narwood. "There were too many complications with this environmental spill," he said.
Ray Cowen, the state Department of Environmental Conservation regional director, visited the spill site on Dec. 21 last year and met with Merrick Library officials in February. Cowen said that tests found no gasoline in and around the library, and he gave officials the go-ahead to build at the site.
Mintz said that the library would have to move during construction to a temporary site that is to be determined.
