Photo credit – Matt Meduri
The Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Library District has officially completed its overhaul of the three libraries within its district. From the new Mastic Beach branch on Neighborhood Road, to the Center Moriches branch on Montauk Highway, Tri-Hamlet residents can now frequent the crown jewel of the overhaul, and their main library, the Shirley branch.
The process in getting the library razed and rebuilt was not a quick or painless one. Two bond votes were downvoted by the public before the final project was approved. The former location experienced inconsistent heating and cooling, leaks, and other technical drawbacks that necessitated an entirely new, state-of-the-art building.
The process became unexpectedly contentious in early 2023, as workers realized the original building’s walls and elevator were unsound, prompting an entire demolition of the building.
The ribbon-cutting is the product of a two-year project and part of the overall $26.7 million to construct the three libraries in the district. The new 45,000-square-foot facility is not much larger than its previous iteration, but officials say that the space has been reimagined to include larger reading rooms, computer and work rooms, children’s areas, a teen space, a coffee shop to be contracted out to a third-party, and even a “Makers’ room,” filled with 3-D printers, engravers, sewing machines, and other assets to not only teach basic home economic skills, but for entrepreneurs to get their businesses off the ground.
Hundreds convened at the new location off of William Floyd Parkway to witness a long-awaited return of the main branch to the district.
“You deserve this,” said Supervisor Dan Panico (R-Center Moriches) (pictured above) to the eager crowd. “I give a lot of credit to this library board, because doing anything worthwhile is incredibly difficult. You will always have your critics, but in showing the leadership to get this done, to have a vision, and a vision for each and every one of you, especially the young people here in front of me today. I grew up one of five children of Jefferson Drive, a product of the William Floyd School District. I came to this library more times than I can remember and I will tell you the opportunities, both community and educational, available to you now are greater than that which was available to me even back then. So, please utilize them, be proud of your library, and be proud of your community. You deserve this day today and many more.”
Panico’s sentiments were echoed by Councilwoman Karen Dunne Kesnig (R-Manorville) (pictured above), Suffolk County Legislator Jim Mazzarella (R-Moriches), Senator Dean Murray (R-East Patchogue), and Assemblyman Joe DeStefano (R-Medford) (pictured below).
“When I got elected six years ago, this was the first library I toured,” said DeStefano. “This is really an overwhelming experience because it took a long time, but I’ve learned something over the six years I’ve been in office: good things come to those who wait.”
Legislator Mazzarella, who had served on the Library Board for ten years, five as its president before running for the Suffolk County Legislature in 2021, believes that what is there now will remain for “decades to come.”
“First and foremost, I want to congratulate the community. We stuck it out,” adding that if “it were not for the community” putting their trust into the project and the Library Board, the project would have never gotten off the ground.
Initially, the plan for the library was to be what Senator Murray described as the “Taj Mahal of libraries,” with waterfront property that include paddle boats. The second proposal was one in conjunction with the Town of Brookhaven, where the library district was looking at the closed golf course nearby.
“Finally, they said, ‘we’re going to stay here [at the same location as the former building], we’re going to redo everything,” Murray told The Messenger. “They lowered the bond and opened up the other two branches, they had gained the community’s trust. And now, look what we have.”
An admirable part of the renovation was retaining the old spirit of the library that had become nostalgic to many in the community, something the Library Board was intent on keeping intact. It’s evidenced by the identical locations of the same rooms and even the signature rounded staircase around the children’s room and the proposed coffee nook.
“We are so ready for our community to be revitalized, to have new things, nice things, to have our community look the same as every other community; it’s time,” said Murray. “For years and years, I feel like this community has been kind of labeled with a stigma that really isn’t true. From the outside looking in, you hear there’s some crime or there’s some drug problems or something like that. But when you get involved in the community here, it is truly one of the most close-knit, large communities I’ve ever seen.”
Murray, the Ranking Member on the Senate Library Committee, as well as the Economic Development, Small Business, and Commerce Committee, says that the “Makers’ Room,” will help residents looking to start their own businesses or crafting gigs, with the 3-D printers and the Cricut cutting machines assisting in making mugs, t-shirts, or other merchandisable items.
The auditorium, to the point of Kim Swicicki, Secretary with the Shirley Chamber of Commerce, has included a chairlift for stage access, and even a Braille board in the children’s section.
The choice to preserve the original layout of the library was highly well received by the community, including one longtime Shirley resident, known as “Kets.”
“I moved from Brooklyn when I was thirteen and I would always go to the teen department after school every day,” Kets told The Messenger, adding that when she was sixteen, she applied for a job and worked at the Shirley branch for eleven years. She served as a teen page and later as a computer clerk in the adult reference section. But in addition to having deep, nostalgic ties to the building, Kets says that the library was more than just a sanctuary in her teen years.
“This library also made me feel working here like I helped the community. When I worked as a computer clerk in the adult department, people would come back thanking me for helping them with a resume or a job application,” said Kets. “It feels very, very rewarding. People who work in libraries literally give back to the community.”
Kets says that in obtaining her Master’s Degree in Library school online from the University of Southern Mississippi, a computer lab was desperately needed.
“I have a laptop, but I’d rather have the monitor; it’s so much easier. I can’t spend a fortune on a laptop, but seeing the computer lab is something that was definitely needed,” said Kets.
Kets says that she took the tour of the library and was able to reminisce, despite the full renovation. And although the Mastic and Moriches branches got her through school, she says they never held a candle to the Shirley branch.
“I love the other buildings, but this one is closer to my heart,” said Kets.
Legislator Mazzarella (pictured above) says that a big logistical issue with the former location is the foot traffic. According to him, this branch received much more usage compared to the average library, and factoring that in was a huge hurdle in renovating the new branch.
“Libraries today are much different spaces than libraries of yesterday, where they had cubicles and separation. Now, people want open spaces, areas to collaborate, and, of course, all of the technology too.,” Mazzarella told The Messenger. “I think this is a community that values their library and their library services. It’s a community that’s been waiting a long time for this.”
Library Board President Joe Maiorana (pictured above) says that since he joined the board in 1998, the key was working with the community to “find a solution that they were willing to invest in.”
“The proposal at the golf course was around $35 million and people thought that the location was too far south and it was too much money,” Maiorana told The Messenger. “We’re a population of 65,000 people, so I think we found the perfect answer in two community branches,” he added, referencing the Moriches and Mastic Beach branches, with the latter likely to be a centerpiece of the ongoing Neighborhood Road Revitalization project.
“Now, we have our main library back,” said Maiorana.
Steven Young, Digital Services, mentioned that the Makers’ Space can be especially advantageous for family reunions or other special events, where residents can make commemorative mugs, shirts, or other items with ease, and library associates can assist in using the machines.
The Shirley Branch of the Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library District is located at 407 William Floyd Parkway, just off of the parkway at the corner of Roberts Road and The Green in Shirley.
