Shirley, NY - December 5th, 2014 - The Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library recently held its first visioning meeting to seek the community’s input on whether to invest in much needed repairs and upgrades to the current facility located at 407 William Floyd Parkway in Shirley, accept donated land from the Town of Brookhaven and construct an entirely new facility or go in an entirely different direction. More than 160 people attended the first session to discuss the options and provide input for the future of the library. Two more visioning meetings are scheduled for Saturday, January 31, 2015, and Saturday, March 21, 2015 covering the topics of "Goal Setting" and "Concept and Design"; both will be held at William Floyd High School.

This past summer, library officials explored a phased approach to repair and update portions of the current building over the course of the next decade and in the process discovered materials containing asbestos which require abatement, along with structural steel repairs that are necessary and will limit the scope of the original renovation plan.

As a result, library officials decided to explore all options and involve the community in the decision.

The first visioning meeting, facilitated by the Seven Group, an architectural firm that “brings together the expertise of five different firms to advocate the design, construction and operation of buildings and communities in a way that contributes to the health of a place,” was designed to foster community involvement and engagement.

“This process is set up to energize community participation to come up with a plan for the library that will be beneficial to all members of our community,” said Kerri Rosalia, Executive Director, Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library. “We really want the community to be involved in deciding the future of their building.”

Ms. Rosalia added that the overall tone of the workshop was a positive one of collaboration. “Residents identified key stakeholders, the things that are unique and special about our community, and developed key principles and a purpose statement to deliver a library that serves as an epicenter of engagement within the community.”

The Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library serves community residents five nights a week in classrooms at William Floyd High School in addition to the library, and at locations throughout the tri-hamlet area including the Mastic Recreation Center, parks and historic sites. More than 800 people walk through the doors every day. Community groups often wait months for library meeting rooms to become available, and library program sessions and services are limited due to lack of space and extremely limited parking.

Please periodically check future.communitylibrary.org for future updates. Videos of the workshop can also be seen here.