Thursday, October 1, 2026
After nearly seven weeks out of service, the Uniondale Public Library elevator is operating again — but with only temporary repairs, as the board of trustees awaits word on federal funding for a full replacement.
Library Director Mara Marin said the elevator was out of service from Feb. 28 through April 15 after its motor seized — the latest disruption in what Marin described as a two-year cycle of intermittent failures attributed to underground water damage in the elevator shaft.
Though there is a staircase, the lift is essential for many patrons using the library’s downstairs meeting room, classroom and gallery space, all of which are difficult or impossible to reach for elderly visitors and those with limited mobility when the elevator is inoperable.
“As a result, the elevator has been on a constant ‘on-again, off-again’ cycle for the last two years,” Marin wrote in an email on April 23, adding that the cost of repairing it is just over $472,000.
Although the elevator has returned to service, its long-term reliability remains uncertain. During a recent visit, a Herald reporter watched as it dipped noticeably before continuing downward with passengers aboard, underscoring concerns about the temporary nature of the repairs.
The trustees said that U.S. Rep. Laura Gillen had informed them that the library’s application for a Community Project Fund grant to replace the elevator had been submitted to the U.S. House Appropriations Committee for consideration. The library expects to learn in June whether the project will receive funding.
“I’m fighting in Congress for direct investments in our communities and am proud to have already brought back $13 million for project funding across Nassau County,” Gillen said in a statement to the Herald last Friday. “I will continue to push to get back more of our tax dollars to help improve the lives of Long Islanders.”
“There is no guarantee that we will receive the funds, and the money hasn’t been distributed yet,” Marin said.
At the same time, the trustees have been exploring relocation options for the library. “The Library Board of Trustees has been looking for a new location to build a new library for our community,” Marin said in an email on April 23, noting a potential site on Jerusalem Avenue, adjacent to the A. Holly Patterson Extended Care Facility.
Still, as long-term plans are considered, immediate fixes remain necessary. “We have to do our best to keep this building safe and operational for the public and staff alike as long as we are here,” Marin said.
The elevator is expected to remain operational for the time being.
“The elevator hasn’t been working,” Claudia Barnes, a patron and a Uniondale resident, said. “And it’s actually working now because they did fix it, but this is a temporary fix.”
Barnes says she goes to the library often to work remotely, and has hosted several teen programs there with her daughter, Jessica, a student at Lawrence Road Middle School.
“The library getting that grant would definitely show that Laura Gillen, and whoever is able to give that grant, supports the community,” Barnes said. “Anything they could do for the library would benefit the community significantly.”
Even when the elevator is operational, its performance remains inconsistent. “It is anyone’s guess if it will remain operational and for how long,” Marin said.
“The library’s meeting room, classroom and gallery space are all downstairs,” she added. “Without a working elevator, they are not accessible to the public.”
Artist Imani Monroe’s “Transformation — The Works of My Hands” exhibit, part of a Women’s History Month program, was canceled by trustees five days after opening on March 15.
According to Monroe the trustees claimed the elevator poses safety concerns.
For her part, Barnes relies on the elevator less, because she usually takes the stairs. But she recognizes its importance, and for now, patrons and staff are left hoping the elevator continues to operate.
