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Dec. 24 - Dec. 30, 2021
QPL BREAKS GROUND ON $5.7 MILLION
RENOVATION OF BAY TERRACE LIBRARY
BY JENNA BAGCAL
The Bay Terrace branch of
Queens Library will soon undergo
a $5.7 million overhaul
to renovate and modernize it
for the community.
On Tuesday, Dec. 14, library
leadership elected officials
and the community
attended the groundbreaking
ceremony to mark the beginning
of the two-year project,
which is expected to begin as
early as March 2022. According
to Queens Public Library
President and CEO Dennis M.
Walcott, the overhaul includes
an expansion of the main entrance,
improvements to the
exterior garden area and a full
interior renovation.
“With these renovations,
the Bay Terrace branch will
be more welcoming, inspiring
and technologically efficient,
and will reinforce its role as
the center of community life,”
Walcott said. “I want to thank
Council member Paul Vallone
for his advocacy and financial
support for libraries in his district
and beyond, and Mayor
Bill de Blasio, Queens Borough
President Donovan Richards
and state Senator John Liu for
securing the funds to modernize
the Bay Terrace branch,
helping ensure Queens Public
Library can continue to provide
free access to information,
knowledge and opportunity
for all.”
According to Queens Library,
the full interior renovation
will feature updated furniture
and technology, a new
designated teen area and a
new, state-of-the-art multipurpose
community room with
audiovisual equipment and a
new ADA compliant ramp that
gives access from the 23rd Avenue
side entrance.
Officials at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Bay Terrace branch of the Queens Public Library. Courtesy of Queens Public Library
In addition, the Bay Terrace
location will also be equipped
with a new HVAC system and
an energy-efficient roof.
“Our libraries are essential
to the lifeblood of a
healthy community. This is
where our children can go
to discover ‘Where the Wild
Things Are’ or find inspiration
in ‘The Little Engine that
Could.’ The modernization of
the Bay Terrace Library will
provide even more opportunities
for learners both young
and old with new technology,
reimagined spaces and upgraded
infrastructure,” Senator
Liu said. “My office proudly
contributed funding for this
exciting project to ensure Bay
Terrace will have a first-class
library for generations to
come. Looking forward to the
grand opening!”
The Bay Terrace branch is
a one-story, 7,500-square-foot
structure completed in 1981. It
served nearly 75,000 customers
and circulated approximately
90,000 items a year
pre-pandemic.
The branch officially reopened
on July 12, 2021, after
QPL temporary closed the library’s
physical branches in
March 2020. Since then, more
than 15,000 customers have
visited the branch and borrowed
more than 16,000 items.
“Our Queens Public Libraries
are treasured community
centers, and the state-of-the-art
improvements at the Bay Terrace
Library will be enjoyed by
local families for generations
to come,” said Assemblyman
Braunstein. “I thank Queens
Borough President Richards,
Senator Liu and Councilman
Vallone for helping to make
this project a reality for the
Bay Terrace community.”
Elected officials also took
to Twitter to commemorate
the library’s groundbreaking.
“Today, a groundbreaking
ceremony was held for the
long awaited renovations at
Bay Terrace Library!” Vallone
tweeted. “I am glad to have
funded this in partnership
with so many of my colleagues
in government who all realize
the importance of libraries to
our communities.”
Richards tweeted that it is
“quite the celebration as we
break ground on the renovation
of the @QPLNYC Bay
Terrace library. Bay Terrace
residents have waited a long
time for their community library
to get the upgrades that
it needs & deserves.”
Reach reporter Jenna
Bagcal by e-mail at jbagcal@
schnepsmedia.com or by phone
at (718) 260-2583.
Vol. 87 No. 52 28 total pages
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