Voters in Warwick School District to decide on new library March 8

Village Board throws support behind project, By Linda Smith Hancharick Warwick — Voters in the Warwick Valley School District go to the polls next Thursday to decide just one issue: Will Warwick build a new library? It has been two years since the library board first presented the plan to build a new library at a cost of $8.5 million to accommodate its growing user population. What will it mean to taxpayers within the district? Taxpayers in the Town of Warwick would have an increase in their library tax of about $1.48 per $1,000 of assessed value. For a home assessed at $50,000, that would be an increase of $74 per year. A home assessed at $40,000 would pay $59 more, and a home assessed at $100,000 would pay an additional $148 each year for the new library. Doing the tax math Library Director Rosemary Cooper said residents have called her with questions about assessed value as opposed to market value. Taxes are based on assessed value, not market value. For example, an actual home in Warwick that has a real market value of $374,000 is assessed at $50,100. To figure out the actual increase, divide the assessed value by 1000, then multiply that number by $1.48. The result is the annual cost for the new library. In this taxpayer’s case, that increase is $74 for the new library. In Chester, the math is a little different because assessed value is closer to market value than in Warwick, but still less than actual market value. The increase in Chester taxes would come out to 35 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. A homeowner in Chester whose home is assessed at $160,000 would pay an additional $56 per year for the new library. An assessment of $200,000 would cost an additional $70; an assessment of $400,000 would cost $140 extra for the new library. “Anyone who has a question on what the increase in their taxes will be is welcome to call me at the library,” said Cooper. “They should have their tax bill in hand with the assessment.” While market values fluctuate, assessments have been the same for several years. What will you get for your money? Warwick is not the only community looking to expand or build a new library to meet the demands of residents whose numbers have grown steadily. A vote on an $11.8 million expansion of the Monroe Free Library is expected sometime this spring, while library officials in Goshen expect to unveil plans for a new building later this year. Warwick’s Albert Wisner Public Library was built in 1927 and added to in 1982. The current library is 5,000 square feet 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 School District with more than 21,000 residents, the state Education Department recommends a library with 100,000 items on its shelves, seating for 150 people and 25 computers. The new library would be 20,00 square feet. The children’s room will be more than four times the size of current children’s area with a program area, totaling 4,000 square feet. A flexible multi-purpose room to be used for programs, community meetings and group study space also is included. A Warwick Room showcasing the area’s historical heritage and quiet study and reading areas are featured. The new building would be handicap accessible with 60 parking spaces in the off-street parking lot. Support for the project A big boost to the library board came last month when the Warwick Valley School Board decided that the proceeds from the sale of the current building would be applied to the debt incurred by building the new one. The proceeds from that sale may only go toward debt. The 2.2 acres of land on McFarland Drive was donated as the site for the new library by Leyland Associates. In January, an anonymous donor pledged $100,000 for enhancements to the new library if the proposition is passed. The Friends of the Library and individuals in the community have donated more than $200,000 for the new building. In February, the library was awarded a $42,778 state grant for preliminary site work and the construction of a sidewalk from Forester Avenue to the new building. Supporters also got a boost last week from the village board: “This village board of trustees supports the referendum for an $8.5 million bond for the construction of a new library building which will sufficiently serve the needs of the Warwick community,” according to the board’s motion. Assemblywoman Annie Rabbitt also came out in support of the referendum: “Libraries are vital centers of information and education that could serve the needs of every person in a particular community,” said Rabbitt. “Warwick is in need of a modern library that can better serve the community than the existing facility which was built in 1927.” Vote March 8 from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Voting in Warwick will take place at the firehouse on Church Street Extension, just off Forester Avenue, from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. All registered voters in the Warwick Valley Central School District are eligible to vote. Absentee ballots are available at the school district office. Letter writers offer their pros and cons of a new library beginning on page 10.