Getting a copy of your birth certificate or marriage license in the town is now a piece of cake. "Wedding or birthday, take your pick," so says Michelle Schimel, North Hempstead Town Clerk and Registrar. On June 30, a Dedication Ceremony officially opened the town's newly renovated Office of Vital Records. A symbolic ribbon was cut, however, during the months of construction this office remained open offering full services to the public.

The renovation was labor of love, Ms. Schimel pointed out during her introduction to the assembled guests. Designs furnished pro-bono by award winning architect, Edward P. Butt, AIA, principal of Butt, Otruba-O'Connor, Architects in Roslyn, were utilized in conjunction with the construction talents of an in-house crew from the Department of Administrative services.

Present at the morning gathering were Supervisor May Newburger, Receiver of Taxes Ann Galante, State Archives regional advisor Lorraine Hill-Campbell, and former town clerks John DaVanzo and Deena Lesser. Records Advisory Board Members Dr. George Williams and Lil Orofino, Building Commissioner David Wasserman and Deputy Town Clerk James Burton Sr., former Deputy Town Clerk Lillian Michalak, Marjorie Kern and Bud Gessen of Great Neck and members of various departments in the town.

The North Hempstead Registrar's Office is one of the largest in New York State conducting approximately 30,000 record transactions a year. To accommodate an increased workflow, created by the growth of North Shore Hospital, the office had to undergo a total renovation.

Ms. Schimel expressed to her guests, "We have produced what I consider to be a remarkable prototype for an Office of Registrar. It is evidence of what can be accomplished through sound planning and responsible budgeting." The guests had a tour of the new facility with its new microfilm reader-printer-scanner and state-of-the-art imaging system with full search capability. These upgrades allow mail requests to improve turnaround time from 2-3 weeks to a matter of days.

Directives were issued by the New York State Department of Health, Office of Vital Statistics to all registrar offices to use safety paper for the issuance of certified copies, tracking certificate number-accounting systems, and putting vital records, previously stored in file cabinets into books. Since taking office in 2000, Ms. Schimel has accomplished all of these recommendations.

These directives took on even greater meaning post September 11, bringing to the fore greater need for document preservation and security by re-instituting the microfilming program in North Hempstead, which Ms. Schimel is doing.

Ms. Schimel proudly read to the guests the charge of the duties of a Registrar, "Vital records registration is a fundamental source of legal documentation for our citizens and the cornerstone of public health in NY State, the nation and the world. The Registrar must delicately balance within the law, the individual's right to privacy and the public's right to know."