By Liz McBreen
Four years after residents passed a $2,240,000 bond to expand the facility, the additions and technological updates are complete.
Rev. Fred McElderry, President of the Board of Trustees, welcomed patrons to the ceremony. "This library will be a lasting legacy for this town and its residents."
The expanded building includes a larger children's room with computer stations and new furniture, and is decorated by murals created by local artists Christine Kuna and Frank Cangelosi.
Among the newest additions are quiet study areas on the top floor and a new community meeting room, where films are shown and book discussions, craft programs and other activities take place. There is also a glass enclosed atrium at the front of the building, allowing plenty of natural light for readers.
"When I started working at this library in 1973," said Library Director and project supervisor for the renovation Alice Wolfteich, "libraries were only about books. Over the years, they have become community centers, offering internet access, videos and DVD's." Wolfteich is glad to offer all of these resources to the residents of Franklin Square. "It is fitting that a state-of-the-art facility such as this is being dedicated near the beginning of the new millennium."
Franklin Square Historical Society president Dr. Paul Van Wie pointed out five murals that hang in the main reading room of the library. The murals were created in 1947 by Edward Sinnott which for years hung in the original Franklin Bank Building on Hempstead Turnpike. The paintings are on loan to the library from the Historical Society. "The theme of the murals is 'The Future is Now,' and this library represents the future of Franklin Square," said Van Wie.
He explained that for years, the expansion was discussed, but the board had difficulty making it a reality. "It was hard to agree on a large project such as this one. When the board and the Franklin Square residents started working together and communicating, the bond was passed." Van Wie added that the newly expanded library makes Franklin Square a town that people want to live in now, and will want to live in the future.
McElderry and the other board members expressed their gratitude to the architects at Schaardt & Fullan and Project Managers Edwin S. Tweedy, Inc., as well as all of the staff members for their patience and good humor during the expansion. They thanked Wolfteich in particular, who worked with the architects, project managers, electricians and plumbers every step of the way, with her own gold hard hat reading 'The Boss.'
Assemblyman Tom Alfano was at the dedication to commend the staff and board members on the new library. "I am so glad that the youth of Franklin Square have a place like this. Reading unlocks a world for young people, generations of Franklin Square residents will learn here, and enjoy the new building."
"I think it's beautiful," said Lori Walz of the expanded library. "It will be an excellent resource for residents." The new Children's Program Room was dedicated to Walz's late sister, Rosemary Walz Santangelo. "She was a first grade teacher in the New Hyde Park school district," said Walz. The dedication plaque at the entrance of the program room says that Santangelo "instilled a love of reading, writing and learning."
Children's Librarian Faye Lieberman, who has worked at the library for 19 years, saw the first bond for expansion fail in 1996. "We were all thrilled the day the bond was passed, and I adore the new building. It has been worth the two years of construction."
