UPDATE: $15.8 Million Library Bond Referendum Fails In Hampton Bays

UPDATE: Tuesday, 10:40 p.m.:

The $15.8 million bond referendum failed, 719-507, in Tuesday’s vote.

“It’s a great disappointment,” said Ms. O’Keefe. “The board worked really hard and the director worked really hard.”

Ms. LaVista, who also expressed her disappointment Tuesday night, said the Board of Trustees does not have a “Plan B” yet. The next step, she said, is to sit down with Ms. O’Keefe and the rest of the library board to discuss why the referendum was voted down and what they should do next.

ORIGINAL:

Hampton Bays Public Library officials are nearing the end of a 14-month journey, and where they finally end up will be determined this Tuesday, June 14.

That is the day when registered voters will decide the fate of a $15.8 million bond referendum that, if approved, will clear the way for both the demolition of the current Ponquogue Avenue library and the construction of a new two-story facility in its place. It also would mean voters would sign off on the purchase of an adjoining half-acre lot that will be primarily utilized for additional parking.

Voters can cast their ballots from 10 a.m. until 9 p.m. at the library on Tuesday.

The finalized plan was selected from a list that originally included seven different renovation options, the most basic of which would have financed only basic upkeep costs.

If approved, the average Hampton Bays resident, with a property assessed at $350,000, will pay an additional $119 per year in library taxes for the life of the 20-year bond, according to library officials.

The library district tax rate is expected to climb from about 59 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation to 93 cents per $1,000—a 57-percent increase. Therefore, an individual whose property is assessed at $350,000 can expect to pay about $326.80 in library taxes next year. That person is currently paying around $207.50.

The $15.8 million proposal calls for a new 24,000-square-foot building to be constructed on the 1.3-acre lot that sits at the corner of Ponquogue Avenue and Argonne Road West. With the acquisition of the adjoining half-acre lot, which now features a house, the new library would boast approximately 100 parking spaces, or about three dozen more than now offered to patrons. The library is in contract the buy the adjoining property, but will sign the required documentation only if Tuesday’s bond referendum passes.

“Right now, there are plenty of times where the lot is entirely full,” Hampton Bays Public Library Director Susan LaVista said, noting that one of the library board’s biggest concerns is offering visitors additional parking to address constant congestion issues. “And it will be safe, too.”

If the referendum is approved, library officials intend to immediately begin the search for an architect to design the new building, and will also schedule more community meetings so patrons can offer ideas on what the new interior should look like. Once that process is complete, the architect would have to present plans to the public and the library would have to complete an environmental review of the proposal to meet the State Environmental Quality Review Act guidelines.

Ms. LaVista said she expects those steps to take about a year to complete, meaning that the demolition of the current library—which would be completed in multiple phases—would likely not begin until 2017. The demolition work, she explained, would be completed in phases, allowing the library to continue operating from a section of the current building for some time. The new library is not expected to be finished until 2019 at the earliest.

If the referendum is rejected, Ms. LaVista said the library board would have to come up with an alternate plan.

“We haven’t really discussed that—there is no Plan B at this time,” she added. “I think we will have to really sit back and assess, and we’ll obviously have to come up with another plan … We will need a little time to assess why it went down and take it from there.”

Hampton Bays Public Library Board President Madeline O’Keefe said she thinks her board did all in its power to keep the public involved in the process, noting that the plan now on the table is the product of multiple public meetings held over the past year. She estimated that library officials hosted or were invited to speak during at least 30 different events over that time.

“The library board and I believe we have done everything to get the community educated regarding everything a building referendum would encompass,” Ms. O’Keefe said. “We answered very many, many difficult and rewarding questions from the people who attended our many sessions.”

“We’re very hopeful that it’s going to pass, but I’m not going to make a prediction because you never know,” said David Zimmerman, vice president of the library board. “We got a lot of feedback at meetings and the project itself has been crafted with a lot of community input …

“I know some people are against the project,” he continued. “I think that’s a little short-sighted. I think this is an investment for the community.”

Board members had been discussing possible renovations to the library since the end of 2014, and first shared their idea with the public in the spring of 2015—the same time they began soliciting comments and recommendations from library users and hamlet residents. At those meetings, attendees asked that their new library offer more educational space, an upgraded heating and air conditioning system, and additional parking.

Based on that feedback, Victor Canseco, owner of Sandpebble Builders in Southampton, presented seven different scenarios, ranging in price from a few million to $14.4 million, at the end of last summer. Library officials ultimately picked the option that will appear on Tuesday’s ballot, which was the second most expensive option of the seven at the time. The estimated price of the project grew by $2.5 million earlier this year when officials decided to also buy the adjoining property to create more parking. The $14.4 million option that had been on the table called for selling the current library and building a new facility elsewhere in Hampton Bays.

With the vote looming early next week, library officials are cautiously optimistic of their chances, noting that they tried their best to keep the community involved in all steps of the process.

“We’re looking forward to next week and we hope for the best,” Ms. LaVista said. “The community will decide … We’ve done more than our due diligence to get the word out.”

Ms. O’Keefe agreed, adding that she hopes the library’s regular users and supporters take the time to cast their ballots on Tuesday.

“I hope that the community at large comes out so that the library can get a true reading of what our community wants as far as whether they are ready for a new library, or whether they want this to be an immediate plan,” she said.

If the bond referendum passes, library officials would then close on an adjacent property on 3 Argonne Road, which is owned by John McKenna, for $390,000. Mr. McKenna, whose primary residence is in East Northport, agreed to sell his Hampton Bays property to the library because his mother always loved the institution, Ms. O’Keefe said. The home is typically rented to a pair of nuns who plan to relocate in the future.