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Dec. 24 - Dec. 30, 2021
QPL BREAKS GROUND ON $5.7 MILLION
RENOVATION OF BAY TERRACE LIBRARY
Officials at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Bay Terrace branch of the Queens Public Library. Courtesy of Queens Public Library
Vol. 30 No. 52 28 total pages
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.
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-ofthe
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.”
/QNS.COM
