Lindenhurst library patrons return to newer, upgraded $10M+ facility

Lindenhurst Memorial Library has reopened after more than a year of closure or limited service, welcoming patrons back with a multimillion-dollar renovation more than a decade in the making.

The more than $10 million facelift for the Lee Avenue building increases the size of the building by just over 3,000 square feet but adds features and repurposes space in new ways, said library director Lisa Kropp.

“We didn’t add a lot of square footage, but what was added is very impactful,” Kropp said. It’s important for people to see that the library “doesn’t just loan books. That’s not what a library is anymore; there’s so much more.”

Among the new features: four ADA-compliant bathrooms and an elevator; a 500-square-foot study room; a learning lab with a portable classroom kitchen for demonstrations and lessons; two new program/community room spaces; a renovated large meeting room with a new sound system for movies;  a dedicated business area featuring 16 public workstations for adults; and a 1,200-square-foot area for senior citizen drop-in programs in the morning that transitions in the afternoon to a space for teens, with homework computers and a separate gaming computer room.

The library, which in 2019 was the third library in the state to achieve Green Business Partnership status as part of a larger sustainability initiative by the New York Library Association, also now has solar panels on the roof, two electric vehicle charging stations and solar lights in the parking lot.

Residents approved $9.4 million in bonding for the renovation in October 2019. The library, which serves more than 42,000 residents, used $500,000 of its capital fund and received more than $317,000 in grants toward the renovation.

It was the second bond proposal for the renovation after talks began more than a decade ago, said board president Jane Dietz. In 2017, a referendum for $14.5 million in bonding was rejected by voters, with residents criticizing cost and scale of work planned, which included adding 10,000 square feet.

“The library offers so much and I don’t think everybody truly realizes how good of a resource it is,” said Katie Grover, past president of the Friends of the Library group, which raises money for programs not covered under the library’s budget such as free museum passes. Grover’s appreciation of the library swelled in the days after Superstorm Sandy in 2012, when her home flooded. With a 6-month-old daughter and no heat or electricity, Grover headed to the library, which became a local outpost for FEMA and a hub for those seeking to warm up and charge their phones.

Visitors to the library on Monday were deep into their books and computers.

Zach Baldassare, 20, said he preferred the darker wood tones and comfy chairs in the old library as compared to the brighter hues and modern furniture chosen for the renovation. But, he said, “it’s new and it’s funded and that’s all that matters.”

Melody Fiorenzo, 33, gushed over the new childrens’ room as she showed it to her toddler Sofia.

“Oh my goodness, it looks incredible,” she said. “This is right up my alley and it’s way overdue.”

By Denise M. Bonilla

denise.bonilla@newsday.comdenisebonilla

Denise Bonilla has worked at Newsday since 2003 and covers the Town of Babylon, including the villages of Lindenhurst and Amityville.