This winter the Greenburgh library will close it's doors for about 2 years. Construction of a new library will start. The Town Board voted to set up mini satellite library locations around the town. Among locations: The Town Hall & the multipurpose center, Veteran Town Park.
I have called for additional library satellite locations so that services can continue to be offered to library patrons. I am very pleased that the Greenburgh Library announced today that a mini branch of the Library will be located in Hartsdale sometime in January. Through courtesy of the Parking Authority, a 40 foot trailer would be located adjacent to the lower level of the Parking Garage "A". Patrons would access the trailer via the alley between Harry's and the Bank of NY or drive into the garage.
The rent is cheap - about $1 a square foot. The parking authority will absorb the cost of electrical hook up (AC, heat and lights) and service. The mini branch will be larger than the cybermobile, hold more books and will be open t hroughout the day including weekends. The cybermobile will not make the stop at the train station thus freeing up more hours for expanded stops.
Thanks to Stephanie Kavourias of the Parking Authority for her help in coming up with the idea. Your suggestions regarding the library during the 2 year construction period are welcome and appreciated.
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7 comments:
This is great news for East Hartsdale Ave residents. At least we will have a small library. I had liked Supervisor Feiner's idea a few weeks ago to rent a storefront on E Hartsdale Ave for a satellite library. THis is less expensive - a great alternative.
All's not well on the way to ending well.
Thank you Hartsdale Parking Authority (HPA) but you have many times told residents that the mission of the HPA is to provide parking for commuters and the downtown merchants, not even for the Hartsdale Avenue residents who live nearby (within walking distance of the station). You have never mentioned at your meetings or in your bonding papers that if you have an extra few thousand dollars on hand, that you would pay for their heat and electric should the Library come calling.
Aren't you still a construction site? If so, is that a good location for children to come to use the proposed Library Branch?
If placing a trailer next to construction is ok, then I imagine there must be an out-of-way corner on the existing Library site where a similar trailer could be situated.
And what about insurance, who's paying for that. I assume that the Library trailer will be on HPA land and being cojoined by electric and other utility lines, that the HPA would be listed at the very least as a co-defendant in any potential litigation, even a mere slip and fall.
Furthermore, does your charter also provide for gifting as your offer of heat and electic would surely be considered?
Yes, I would like to have a Library Branch in Hartsdale Center.
However, the practical solution, if not more costly, would be to rent a vacant storefront as per the invitation of Suoervisor Feiner. However even though the HPA is independent of the Town government, it is not independent of its own charter.
Somehow this deal has the footprints of Howard Jacobs leading to Timmy Weinberg leading to Stephanie Kavourias.
It's important that a satellite library be located on E Hartsdale Ave. I would support either suggestion: the trailer or renting a store front.
I agree that a branch should be established as I advocated even before the expansion was voted upon. However, you should be aware that there are many who are concerned about how the Hartsdale Parking Authority does business.
It is funded from collecting fees from those who park by the train station.. It is not their mission, by charter, to come to the aid of the Library which would have no case if it were to claim poverty.
There are not inconsiderable sums of money that are involved, money that comes solely from those whose fees maintain the Parking Authority operations. Giving away money, offering free parking and HVAC, not collecting parking meter fees from the cybermobile... these are additional burdens on those who pay ever increasing parking fees and must replace this lost revenue from their own pockets.
And, the head of the Parking Authority just happens to be married to the head of the Library Board of Trustees. Mrs. Jacobs I'd like to introduce you to Mr. Jacobs.
Elsewhere I have questioned the Parking Authority's right to make this offer and whether it was ever done by Parking Board vote.
It's not such a perfect world after all.
People are just going to go to the libraries of Scarsdale, Yonkers, White Plains, and the villages anyway.
How many parking spaces will be lost?
We need to have a library that is going to do more than pay salaries during the construction. Having additional satellite locations -including the one in E Hartsdale Ave is good for the community.
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