By Jerry Burke
"I'm really disappointed in the results," said library director Regina Mascia, who spent nearly the entire day monitoring the vote. "I grew up in this community and live here. I really think it was past time for a new facility."
The West Hempstead Public Library, which occupies 8,000 square feet in the 50-year old Chestnut Street School building, was originally designed to hold 50,000 volumes. Today, it contains over 90,000 volumes, which, according to board officials, severely limits the space required to provide patrons with more modern research tools. "Every year, we are forced to throw out an equal amount of old material for every new book or resource we acquire," said library board member Martin Gensler.
The $10 million bond would have called for the purchase of the 2.33 acre lot on the corner of Woodfield Road and Hempstead Avenue as well as the construction of a 26,000 square foot facility. Last year, the Town of Hempstead approved the building of a self-storage facility, which, according to investors, was slated to begin construction this month. The passage of the bond, however, would have allowed the library board to take precedence over the storage building. It is unknown whether the plans for the storage facility will come to being in light of the bond's failure.
Residents who spoke with the Herald after voting were decidedly mixed in their responses. Those who voted against it said the tax increase, which library board officials estimated at an average of $20 a month for an average West Hempstead home assessed at $6,000, was the key issue. "There are quite a lot of taxes involved here," said Simon Knoll. "There are libraries in neighboring areas which can provide residents with the increased demands."
Supporters, however, hoped that those increased demands could be met within their hometown. "The library is too small," said another voter. "It is important to have a large, accessible library, especially for the children."
Resident Richard Chiert agreed. "I hope it passes. It would get our community on par with our neighbors as well as becoming a great anchor for revitalizing the area."
The location, which lies between the Western Beef shopping center and the controversial Courtesy Hotel, turned off some voters. "If it wasn't for the location, I'd be all for it," said one father of two. "I just don't want my kids going all the way to the edge of town to what isn't a great place to begin with." Supporters, including the executive board of West Hempstead Civic Association and the West Hempstead Chamber of Commerce, argued that the library would have been a beachhead in turning the area around. "What good is a storage facility going to any of us there?" asked one member of the civic association on hand for the vote.
Before the votes were counted, members of the board were cautious. "If it doesn't pass, we did our best," said one library official. "It'll be heartbreaking." By 10:15 p.m., the answer was clear, with the gap being too large to bridge even with the 68 absentee ballots yet to be counted.
Voting was steady all day, with a strong showing during the opening hours before tapering off slightly in the mid-afternoon. An increasing number trickled in as the deadline approached, with a considerable showing in the last 15 minutes. The vote was described as "completely orderly" by voting officials, never reaching the long waits that affected many voters in last week's name change referendum.
Although the library board plans to meet on June 25 to discuss future plans, Mascia was among those pessimistic over further attempts to build. When one resident opposed to the bond pledged support to find "another way" to build a new facility, Mascia responded, "We really can't do anything else." With space to build in the four-square mile hamlet already limited, one board member confided that "it would probably be years before anyone tries this again. It was more or less our last shot."
