RSS 2.0 FeedSeptember 30, 2010, Wantagh Seaford Citizen
New Wantagh Library director appointed
Maggie Marino is welcomed.
The Wantagh Public Library’s Board of Directors welcomed Margaret Marino as the new library director at their September 20 monthly meeting. The library has operated without a director since April 2009 when the former director, John Bosco, was suspended by the board for insubordination and subsequently fired. Ms. Marino, seated with the five -member board, said, “I think I can help the library become more a part of the community.” She thanked the board and said she was looking forward to her new position.
Previously employed by the Freeport Memorial Library where she was coordinator of adult services and head of community services, Ms. Marino began her career in Freeport in 1991 as a trainee. She later worked at the Farmingdale library for six years, returning to Freeport in 2002. Board President Margaret Kowalski said that Ms. Marino was “heavily experienced” and that she “couldn’t be more thrilled.” She said, “Starting this new phase is going to be terrific.” Ms. Marino begins the week of September 27.
Legal issues linger
While the long awaited addition of a new director buoyed the spirits of the board and attending patrons, Ms. Kowalski was hesitant to answer any questions regarding a less popular subject – lingering legal issues with Mr. Bosco. Ms. Kowalski said she could only say that, “Mr. Bosco has initiated another round of litigation” and that [the board] was trying to “do things carefully.”
In July, the state Supreme Court determined that the firing proceedings taken by the board and upheld by the Nassau County Civil Service Commission was “tainted,” rendering Mr. Bosco’s conviction and termination on April 9 “unlawful.” This was a result of having two board members, Gianna Gelci-Steen and Lenore Miller, testify against Mr. Bosco and then participate in the vote to terminate him. This entitled Mr. Bosco to additional back pay and benefits, since the board was ordered to vacate the resolution terminating his employment.
Mr. Bosco was then re-fired, although legally his second firing can be appealed. Mr. Bosco said he will continue to defend his reputation which was “so badly tarnished by the library board in control at the time.” Whether the issue will be decided by the state Supreme Court or the Nassau County Civil Service Commission is Mr. Bosco’s choice. Furthermore, the board is also contesting Mr. Bosco’s receipt of unemployment benefits awarded by New York State.
Library closes Sundays
The board voted unanimously to close the library on Sundays on a permanent basis. According to Ms. Kowalski, the move will save the library about $45,000 a year in salaries, which she said it could then “plunk” into the renovation fund. Since Sundays consistently attract the least number of patrons, Ms. Kowalski said the move would be a way to “save some nice money without affecting the patrons terribly.”
Renovation update
Ms. Kowalski reported that bids from vendors for Phase I of the planned $1.2 million renovation are due in shortly. This phase, which she said should make the building “watertight,” will address the library’s leaky roof and windows. Since the windows must be custom-made, Ms. Kowalski said it could take up to 16 weeks to receive them and installation could then require another four to eight weeks to complete. Ms. Kowalski said the cost of the roof project was “basically halved,” as the construction management team was able to save $225,000 by investigating the warrantee on the last roof and holding the previous vendor accountable. Applications for grant money for the renovation were submitted “complete and perfect,” according to Ms. Kowalski, although the amount awarded will not be known until the first quarter of next year. To maximize the amount of grant money, Ms. Kowalski said the library applied separately for the two renovation phases.
Time clock and collections
Board Vice-President Laura Dupkin-Memisha suggested that the board consider acquiring a time clock to reduce the payroll clerk’s workload and create a more efficient system. Currently the clerk must manually tabulate information. The board agreed to look into the most effective and cost efficient way to do this. Ms. Dupkin-Memisha also suggested reviewing the policy and procedures for late-fee collections. Ms. Kowalski said the “sentiment of the trustees is that we’re into that” and that the new director could review any existing procedure for collections.
