__________________ SEAFORD _________________
SPRING FORWARD at 2 a.m. on Sunday. Remember to change your smoke detector batteries.
HERALD Infections as of March 8
1,671
CoMMuNIty uPDAtE
Infections as of March 1 1,635
$1.00
A centenarian’s 101st birthday
Fundraising for cancer research
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MARCH 11 - 17, 2021
Vol. 69 No. 11
‘We’re happy to be back at work’ Women business owners in Seaford reflect on adapting to the pandemic By BRIAN StIEGlItZ bstieglitz@liherald.com
CourtesySeaford School District
Getting their heads into it Students in the Seaford High School sculpture class began working on clay busts, and each chose a different head to sculpt.
It’s been a year since businesses were forced to shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic, and many Seaford residents have grown accustomed to frequenting local businesses and taking the necessary steps to keep one another safe. Whether it’s a yoga studio offering free sessions in a park or a salon taking its clients’ temperatures at the door, business owners have adapted. In recognition of Women’s History Month, the Herald spoke to three female business owners, who shared stories of how they
were impacted by the pandemic and what they had to do to adapt. Kelly Machusky, of Long Beach, owns Caya New York, on Merrick Road in Seaford, where she teaches barre, Pilates and yoga. She recalled that when she heard last March that businesses had to close, she stayed up through the night with her employees to try to create a virtual platform. “We never had an online platform before this,” Machusky said. “We never did anything virtually, so the silver lining was that we were able to create this alternative online presence. It’s not only been a benefit for people Continued on page 3
Libraries, facing potential state funding cuts, ask for support By JENNIFER CoRR jcorr@liherald.com
Over the past year, libraries in Nassau County have been there for their patrons, whether hosting educational and fun virtual programs or promoting a wide selection of digital resources, like e-books. “[Virtual programs] have gotten pretty popular,” said Seaford Public Library Director Frank McKenna. “People like it, and I think we’re going to do it even when we have in-house programs here at the library, at some extent.” But in order to provide services, libraries needs funding.
Although the New York Library Association requested $123.1 million in state funding for the 202021 fiscal year, library aid totaled $94.1 million. According to the NYLA, the state cited the pandemic as the reason for withholding 20 percent of what was requested. For the 2021-22 fiscal year, Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposed cutting library aid by an additional 7.5 percent in his executive budget. The proposal comes after a NYLA survey found that libraries have incurred an average of more than $6,500 in Covid19 related expenses. In February, the public libraries in Seaford and Wantagh were
among the Town of Hempstead libraries to receive federal funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security act. The Wantagh Public Library received almost $26,000, and the Seaford Public Library received about $14,000. The funds only cover pandemic-related costs, like personal protective equipment and cleaning services. “These prospective cuts to library operating aid in the budget that’s being negotiated right now are really going to threaten the ability of our communities to recover from Covid-19,” said Caroline Ashby, director of the Nassau Library System.
Library directors across New York met virtually with state lawmakers on Feb. 26, National Library Advocacy Day, to express their concerns and discuss the role libraries play in their communities. “I was very encouraged with Senator [John] Brooks,” said Wantagh Public Library Director Shannon Marchese, who took
part in the hearing. “He’s part of the new Senate Library Committee that’s working hard to advocate for library funding.” The Nassau Library System shared a post on its Facebook page on Feb. 11, asking its followers to share what their local library mean to them on postcards and send them to Cuomo Continued on page 3