LIPA's deal with Nassau County could destroy our library

Public libraries are the heart of a community. They serve everyone from newborns to senior citizens by providing much-needed materials, programs, technologies, and support to all residents. Unfortunately, our library’s future is being threatened by the proposed LIPA settlement regarding the E.F. Barrett power plant.

At the time of this writing, the Island Park Public Library has not been provided with the most current settlement proposal. We can only reference news reports, what we know from past proposals, and information provided to the library in response to our Freedom of Information request. The documents we have reviewed make no mention of the library, leaving us guessing as to what will happen next. The library was promised at a public meeting in 2020 by both LIPA and Nassau County that any negotiation would include us and that any proposed settlement would be shared before a final decision was made. That did not happen.

Based on the information we do have, over time our library stands to lose up to $320,000 per year, approximately 22% of our $1.5 million budget. Losing almost a quarter of our funding will have a severe impact on the library and the community’s taxpayers. There is no pipeline for us to be able to receive additional state aid, and there is no monetary relief coming from anywhere else.

This level of impact, coupled with the lack of any monetary relief to absorb that impact, will be crippling to us. We are already considering a reduction in staff and a hiring freeze. As our staff gets smaller, we will be left with no choice other than to cut our services to the community — the first being our operating hours and programs. These are programs that our seniors rely on for exercise, stimulation, and socialization. Programs our students rely on for school assistance. Programs our young families rely on to provide early childhood educational experiences. In fact, 43% of the students in the Island Park school district qualify for free or reduced lunches. One could argue that libraries are even more crucial in a community like ours.

The Island Park Public Library has stood the test of time. We have survived Superstorm Sandy, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and stand ready to do everything in our power now to survive this as well. But we can’t do so without help.

Should this settlement go forward, it is imperative that the library’s portion of funds that LIPA will be paying are specifically identified, with its own separate payment schedule.

Next, just as it has been recognized that school districts need an additional payment from LIPA to cushion the blow for their residents, we need that also. Any settlement should include a separate payment to us to ease the transition for taxpayers from where they are now to where they will end up in five years.

Lastly, we want, and deserve, timely information about this settlement and to be given a seat at the table to express how this proposed settlement will impact us.

We plead with LIPA, the school district, the county, and the state to please remember to look out for our library and to not allow us to become collateral damage in this unfortunate situation. We need to be able to assure our residents that their library — the heart of their community — will not be broken by this deal.