The library branch leased the second floor of the building...

The library branch leased the second floor of the building at New York Avenue. Credit: Danielle Silverman

The Huntington Public Library’s Huntington Station branch is getting more stories.

The branch recently leased the second floor of a building on New York Avenue, where it has been located for about 16 years, doubling its space.

Library Director Joanne Adam said the move is in response to concerns about having the capacity to serve the community.

“Especially after school, the place gets so jam-packed between kids and their parents coming in for the homework help program; three nights a week we do English classes,” Adam said. “With so much activity, people were complaining there’s no quiet space and we only have one good size program room.”

The library is considering purchasing the building when the lease for both floors is up in June 2022, Adam said.

Town Supervisor Chad Lupinacci said the expansion is another sign of the positive things happening in Huntington Station.

“This is one more step in the direction of the revitalization of Huntington Station,” Lupinacci said in an email. “An expanded library space provides a safe meeting environment to the community, encouraging literacy, learning and activity involvement for residents of all ages.”

The library is just west of the site of the town’s major revitalization effort for Huntington Station. Town officials signed an agreement with Plainview-based Renaissance Downtowns in 2011 to serve as master developer to redevelop the New York Avenue corridor in the hamlet. Last year, work began on the first project, a three-floor, mixed-use structure on the northeast corner of Northridge Street and New York Avenue.

Adam also touted the efforts of the recently established Huntington Library Foundation, which was founded in 2016 and got up and running last year, she said. Its goal is to fund new and innovative projects that are not part of the operating budget, Adam said.

The foundation is in the midst of its inaugural fundraiser and so far has raised $40,000 of its $100,000 goal.

“To start, it’s to support small grants like ($1,000 to $2,000) for things a department or a couple of departments might want to do,” Adam said.

The foundation has already issued $5,000 in grants, first for the Dot and Dash program, which uses robots to help children 6 and younger learn computer coding and programming.

Money also went to purchase a big-screen TV with an integrated computer for the Teen Tuesday program at the Huntington Station branch. The TV is used as a tool to engage teens in programs that highlight academic preparedness, life skills and employment counseling, and workshops, and sometimes just for fun, such as for educational video games.

The next goal is to raise enough money to do a bigger, technology-focused project such as creating a space including a 3-D printer so patrons of all ages can do more hands-on projects.

“These are all things the library has never done before because . . . the cost would not necessarily be able to come out of our programming budget,” Adam said. “It’s a wonderful opportunity.”

Will Grayson Meak faceoff against Devin Downes in counties? Meanwhile North Babylon’s Jasmine McKay hoops it up and there's history on the mat in Nassau County in Episode 2 of "Sarra Sounds Off."  Credit: Mario Gonzalez

 SARRA SOUNDS OFF: Wrestling, North Babylon hoops and more! Will Grayson Meak faceoff against Devin Downes in counties? Meanwhile North Babylon's Jasmine McKay hoops it up and there's history on the mat in Nassau County in Episode 2 of "Sarra Sounds Off." 

Will Grayson Meak faceoff against Devin Downes in counties? Meanwhile North Babylon’s Jasmine McKay hoops it up and there's history on the mat in Nassau County in Episode 2 of "Sarra Sounds Off."  Credit: Mario Gonzalez

 SARRA SOUNDS OFF: Wrestling, North Babylon hoops and more! Will Grayson Meak faceoff against Devin Downes in counties? Meanwhile North Babylon's Jasmine McKay hoops it up and there's history on the mat in Nassau County in Episode 2 of "Sarra Sounds Off." 

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