Community members will decide on Tuesday, Oct. 7, whether Plainedge will get a new library, as voters will cast their ballots on a $16,865,795 bond resolution.
According to the library, the cost to a home with an average assessed value is estimated to be approximately $125 per year, or $10.41 per month, if the resolution passes.
The new building would include an expanded children’s center, makerspace/STEM lab, large common meeting rooms, quiet study rooms and reading areas, an outdoor courtyard and children’s terrace, a young adult space and more, according to the board.
Plainedge Library Board President Ann Doxsey said in July, when the bond vote was announced, that the board had spent the past year analyzing the current needs of the facility and said that libraries are more than just a place for books.
The board said the new library would address structural challenges present in the current building, which has spaces that don’t meet current codes and leaks that impact structural integrity. The board said the new building will also be sustainable, energy-efficient and primed to host community programs and activities.
The library board hosted two community meetings in September to answer questions regarding the potential new building.
The current library building at 1060 Hicksville Rd. has stood since 1968. The new 24,000-square-foot library will be built on the site of the current facility.
The board unanimously approved the decision to set the bond vote at its July 1 meeting. It said it would also use $3 million from reserves for the construction of the new library.
The library board also presented the public with a perspective library in 2023, which was struck down by voters.
Doxsey said there have been reductions in the scope of the project since the last bond vote
She said items removed include the proposed café and kitchen demo, and the new proposal also calls for the creation of a dedicated children’s program room, where the 2023 proposal had included a joint program room for children and young adults.
The community will vote on the proposed plan on Tuesday, Oct. 7, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Plainedge Library.
