Wantagh Herald 03-11-2021

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3305 Jerusalem Ave. Suite 211 Wantagh, NY 11793

MARCH 11 - 17, 2021

Vol. 69 No. 11

J.B. bike path is complete Ocean Parkway Greenway’s 10-mile extension opens three months early By BRIAN StIEGlItZ bstieglitz@liherald.com

Courtesy Wantagh School District

Scooting to victory Forest Lake Elementary School kindergartners Luke Messer and Ellie Stack raced on scooters to simulate luges during the school’s Winter Wonderland phys. ed. unit. Story, more photos, Page 7.

The long-awaited extension of the Ocean Parkway Coastal Greenway Shared Use Path is now complete, three months ahead of schedule, and open for use by cyclists, runners, skaters and walkers. The 10-mile, $16.2 million extension connects the Greenway Shared Use Path from Tobay Beach, in the Town of Oyster Bay, to Captree State Park, which spans the towns of Babylon and Islip. According to a March 5 a n n o u n c e m e n t f r o m G ov. Andrew Cuomo, who marked the

construction of the path in October 2019, the first few months of 2020 were mild and dry, allowing more time for work on it. The extension was built in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and includes new bike parking sections at Gilgo Beach, Cedar Beach Marina and Captree State Park. Safety measures include signage detailing distances to the nearest public facilities, additional crosswalks and a re fl e c t ive c abl e g u i d e r a i l between the path and Ocean Parkway. Planted along the new path are hundreds of plants native to 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


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