Smithtown library Commack branch to reopen

The first stage in the project to expand the Smithtown library system will be complete when a renovated Commack branch reopens to the public this week.

Library director Robert Lusak said the ceremony marking the official opening of the Indian Head Road branch probably will be held next month.

After defeating a $26-million bond for ambitious expansion plans in October 2007, voters approved a scaled-back, $21-million library construction bond in March 2008.

The project includes upgrading the three existing branches and building a new branch in Nesconset at the former National Guard armory site.

The library system -- Long Island's largest in number of patrons -- has not been in compliance with state library standards for square footage per resident since 2000 and has been operating under a state waiver. The expansion will address that issue and bring the library buildings into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

When the Commack branch reopens, the Kings Park branch will close for renovations.

The Nesconset branch, which will also house the library's technical services department and storage facility, is expected to open by early May.

The Smithtown main building will then close for interior construction for the rest of 2011. Lusak said exterior work is under way at the Smithtown building, which will have a 6,000-square-foot addition.

The Commack branch, which has been closed for more than a year, will feature a new community room, elevator, furniture and energy-efficient heating, lighting and windows, library officials said. Skylights and larger windows will allow natural lighting. Lusak said the district hopes the libraries will qualify for designation as LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, buildings.

The Friends of the Smithtown Library has donated $20,000 for a portable stage at each location, said group officer Bruce Ettenberg.

The Smithtown Library Foundation Inc., a nonprofit group founded in 2002 after the library became a special district separate from the town, has been raising funds for other items. The wish list ranges from $250 for decorative wall panels for the children's libraries to $70,000 for fireplace refurbishing at the Smithtown building.

Foundation president Jim Teese said the community has "responded to the outreach. Somebody donated a baby grand" piano, he said.