Mastic Beach Library Branch Sees Hours Curtailed Due To Security Concerns, New Plans Ahead

MASTIC BEACH, NY — Heightened security concerns at the Mastic-Moriches -Shirley Community Library's satellite branch in Mastic Beach have led to a curtailed operating schedule, officials said.

According to a Facebook post by the library last week, the Mastic Beach branch, located Neighborhood Road, adopted a new schedule as of October 21.

The library will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Monday to Saturday, and on Sunday from noon to 4 p.m., as it has always been on Sundays.

"In light of ongoing safety and security concerns at and around the branch, particularly as daylight hours grow shorter, the Library is adjusting its operating hours to help provide a safer environment for patrons and staff," the message on social media read. "The safety and well-being of everyone who visits or works at our Library remains a top priority. We appreciate the community's understanding."

Joseph Maiorana, board president of the Mastic-Moriches-Community Library, told Patch that there had been some "ongoing safety concerns in Mastic Beach — that's why we made the decision to shorten the hours at that branch."

The new schedule will remain in effect until the end of December and then, the branch will close for about three months and reopen as a program space, he said.

The decision to pivot and consider a new use for the space was born out of the ongoing safety concerns, Maiorana said. "We have great security, but they can only do so much," he said. "There have been ongoing issues with theft and drug dealing, unsafe conditions in the community," he said.

Maiorana said the future is bright for the future, with revitalization on the horizon. "It's a beautiful area," he said.

But at the present time, the focus is on addressing safety concerns, Maiorana said.

According to Suffolk County police, the Seventh Precinct had two officers assigned to a foot patrol on Neighborhood Road from 4 p.m. to 4 a.m. from May to the middle of September.

Officers issued 15 summonses for open alcohol on Neighborhood Road, and there were two arrests for those charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, police said.

One person was arrested and charged with second-degree assault after a shooting incident that occurred at about 1:15 a.m. on August 23, police said.

Since the conclusion of the foot patrol, patrols have been increased across all three tours, police said.

There have been 45 calls as of Wednesday, October 21 to the Mastic Beach branch of the library on Neighborhood Road, police said.

Sixteen calls were for disturbances, 11 calls were for alarms, four calls were for criminal incidents, two calls were for larceny offenses, one call was for someone who graffitied property, and there was one call for a domestic violence incident, police said.

'The primary responsibility of the board and the administration is to keep our patrons and our staff safe," Maiorana said. "We had to make some changes to the use of the facility right now."

Down the line, "when the revitalization happens, some future board may likely revisit this and hopefully, bring back full library services," he said.

Maiorano added, however, that the new use of the building will definitely prove beneficial to the community.

Just two miles away, the main branch of the Mastic-Moriches-Shirley Library, located on William Floyd Parkway in Shirley, offers a 45,000 foot space with a plethora of programs, a cafe, and a full operating schedule.

In addition, Maiorana said, there is another branch in Moriches.

The decision to pivot to a new use for the facility, he believes, will "serve the public even better. We'll have a designated space for special programming."

Lonna Castro, library director of the Mastic-Moriches-Shirley Community Library, agreed that taking a new direction would benefit library-goers.

"Patrons will be getting a much more meaningful use of the building," she said. "During this transition time, the other two libraries will remain open, and full service. We do a lot of wonderful things at those libraries — libraries have something for everyone."

And, she said, in a recent community survey, residents expressed the desire for more reservable space for programs.

As of the end of December, the books at the Neighborhood Road branch will be moved to the other libraries, Maiorana said.

In the end, safety is the top priority, he said.

"Our staff has been outstanding, trying to handle a difficult situation in Mastic Beach, but all of their hard work wasn't going to change the current conditions and we just have to keep everybody safe," Maiorana said.