Money from sale of library will go to pay library debt

Warwick — Good news for those hoping to build a new library in Warwick. The Warwick Valley School District decided Monday night that it would apply proceeds from the sale of the current library to the debt of a new library building. “The district has no expenses from the library,” Warwick Schools Superintendent Dr. Frank Greenhal said this week. “The library board maintains it. They should take the equity they have built in it. “We could have kept the money but it didn’t seem like the right thing to do,” Greenhall added. “It is not an expense to us. It is just because the charter says we own it. We don’t do repairs. We have no upkeep.” Donna Applegate, president of the library board, was present at the school district’s meeting. “The Library Board is grateful to the Warwick Valley School Board for its proactive decision to allow the Albert Wisner Public Library to sell its existing building in the event of a successful referendum on March 8,” Applegate said. “It is heartening to know that two public entities can work together for the betterment of the community.” Rosemary Cooper, the library’s director, was happy with the district’s decision as well. “This is wonderful news for all residents of our library district,” said Cooper. “It is just one more successful attempts to maximize alternative sources of funding to minimize the cost of our new library.” Last month, an anonymous donor pledged $100,000 for enhancements to the new library if it is indeed built. Market value of the library is not available. Cooper said no assessment has been done and no formal inquiries have been made by any potential buyers. The library is a school district library, getting its funding from all in the district. It has its own budget and its own board. The current library building, near the corner of Main Street and Colonial Avenue, was originally built in 1927. Renovations were last done 25 years ago. The library is 5,000 square feet in size and is not handicap accessible. There are about 40,000 items on the shelves, 30 seats and six computers. For a community the size of the Warwick Valley School District with a population of more than 21,000, a library should have 100,000 items on its shelves, seating for 150 people and 25 computers, according to the state Education Department. Last January, the library presented its plan to the public which included building a 20,000-square-foot library on 2.2 acres of donated land costing about $8.5 million. Leyland Alliance, the developer of Warwick Grove, donated the property for the new library on McFarland Drive.