By MIKE CAPUTO
The prototypes were informally shown to Lawrence village officials at a May board meeting. Library trustees are now preparing for an official presentation at a crucial Lawrence village board meeting on June 12, which is expected to determine the future of the project.
As PPL board members discussed specifics at their meeting on May 15, an aura of excitement and pride was evident. Months of research and communication were finally standing in front of them on an easel.
"All the ducks are in a row," said PPL Director Arleen Reo, as she looked over the renderings. "We are awaiting a green light from the village."
Reo, along with staff and board members, has actively explored financial logistics, including funding that can be attained through the New York State Dormitory Authority.
If the village board offers its blessing, the voters will eventually make the final decision on the bond issue. Figures for the project have yet to be finalized by library officials.
Voters last vouched their support for PPL in November, when they overwhelmingly passed the transfer of property from the Lawrence school district to the library board. The library board needed full ownership of the property to seek funding from state agencies for the potential project.
The renderings depict a new 27,000 square foot library in the Lawrence train station parking lot, next to Zion Park. The current facility on 280 Central Avenue is 13,000 square feet. PPL's architectural firm, Burton, Behrendt and Smith, has orchestrated library and educational construction projects across Long Island, including the new Manhasset Public Library, which transformed a 16,500 square foot facility into a new 41,600 square foot building.
Based on the renderings, library trustees appeared to keep their promise to not touch "a blade of grass" in the park. Instead, the doors of the proposed new children's library would open into the park.
Lawrence mayor Jack Levenbrown said he was impressed when presented with the renderings.
"I think the rendering is beautiful, and [the new library] would be a great asset to our community," Levenbrown said.
For Joan Lepelstat, co-president of PPL's Board of Trustees, a new library in Lawrence means much more than just a building.
"I would be proud to put my name on the building," Lepelstat said. "I think the village would be proud to have a legacy like this."
Comments about this story? Mcaputo@liherald.com or 516-569-4000 ext. 210.
