Wayne Preakness Library Annex To Close After More Than 40 Years

WAYNE, NJ — The library's Preakness annex will close next month, a consequence of the plan to finally bring full-day kindergarten to the town school district.

The Board of Education Thursday are expected to approve a $172.7 million budget that will close the Hamburg Turnpike annex after 41 years of operation.

The school district owns the Preakness School building the annex is in and rents it out to the township.

The annex will close June 28. It had more than 31,000 visitors last year.

Mayor Chris Vergano said he was "very sorry" to hear of the annex's closing.

"The library is a vital part of the community, especially for our many seniors who utilized the facility," Vergano said.

All the activities and programs the annex hosted will be transferred to the library's main branch at 475 Valley Road in the Municipal Complex, Vergano said.

The school district's $4.2 million plan to bring full-day kindergarten to town involves renovating the Preakness School building, where the annex is. Twelve new classrooms for more than 200 students will be created. The building also houses a training center for school employees, and a specialized high school program.

Preakness School would be used as an early childhood education center for preschool students for the 2020-21 school year.

School district Superintendent Mark Toback said officials are using the Preakness School building for its intended use.

Roberta Loniewski, president of the Library Board of Trustees, did not respond to a request for comment.

Loniewski said was "very surprised" by the district's decision to take over the Preakness School building, NorthJersey.com reported.

She said in the NorthJersey.com report the board got a certified letter March 29 notifying trustees of the district's plan.

Acting Library Director Doreen Shoba did not return a phone call seeking comment.

Bringing full-day kindergarten to Wayne, the only Passaic County school district not to offer it, has been a long and complicate process dating back to 2015.

The Board of Education in March 2015 moved forward with a plan to bring it to Wayne for the 2016-17 school year. (See related: Wayne Board of Ed Moves to Bring Full-Day Kindergarten)

But that plan was short-lived after residents in November 2015 voted down a referendum question about implementing the program. A dedicated group of residents launched a grassroots campaign that election season in favor of the program. (See related: Wayne Full-Day Kindergarten Voted Down)

The board reversed course on its decision in 2016 after debating with residents for months regarding how the then $2.1-million program could have been implemented after the referendum was defeated.

Residents again voted 'no' via a referendum in November 2016 to the question of raising nearly $2.1 million to implement the program and increasing school taxes $94. (See related: Wayne Votes Down Full-Day Kindergarten — Again)

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com