Steinway Library’s main entrance on 31st Street features a new
ADA accessible ramped entrance and a 24/7 exterior book returns
machine. Photo courtesy of QPL
2 TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | JAN. 28 - FEB. 3, 2022
BY BILL PARRY
Jamaica, Queens, native
Jason Myles Clark has been
appointed as the new executive
director of Tech:NYC,
the organization that mobilizes
the expertise and resources
of the tech sector to
work with city and state government
on policies that ensure
New York’s innovation
economy thrives.
Clark will succeed founding
Executive Director Julie
Samuels beginning on Jan.
24. Samuels announced her
departure in July 2021, and
will remain on the organization’s
board of directors.
“After almost two years,
New Yorkers are still grappling
with the biggest crisis
of a generation, but the
city’s spirit of resilience
— matched with the tech
sector’s commitment to innovation
— makes me optimistic
that we can create a
better future. I am excited
to do my part as the head
of Tech:NYC, advocating
for new economic opportunities
that improve the
lives of all New Yorkers,”
Clark said. “I look forward
to working with all of our
members to expand access
to workforce development
opportunities and the
sector’s many resources in
every borough.”
Clark was born and raised
in southeast Queens. He
comes to Tech:NYC from the
boutique law firm Hamilton
Clark LLP, where he was a
partner and led the firm’s
Commercial Litigation and
Government Investigations
practices. Clark previously
spent nine years as an assistant
attorney general in the
Office of the New York State
Attorney General, including
five years as the First Attorney
for the Harlem Regional
Office.
“I’ve always said
Tech:NYC is a community of
people who are first and foremost
New Yorkers. Jason is
definitely that, and it’s why I
know he’ll continue to build
meaningful partnerships between
tech and the city with
the interests of everyday
New Yorkers top of mind,”
Samuels said. “I’m incredibly
proud of everything the
Tech:NYC team has accomplished
in the past six years,
growing the organization
from five founding members
to 800 and counting. I can’t
wait to see where Jason takes
them.”
Clark is involved with
several community organizations
in New York. An
alumnus of the Bronx High
School of Science, he founded
DREAMChasers, which
helps students from low-income
and underrepresented
backgrounds attend NYC’s
specialized high schools.
Clark is also the legal
director of Good Call NYC,
which connects arrested
New Yorkers with a free attorney
prior to arraignment.
He also served as president
of the Metropolitan Black
Bar Association from 2018 to
2020. Read more on QNS.com.
Reach reporter Bill Parry
by e-mail at bparry@
schnepsmedia.com or by
phone at (718) 260–4538.
BY BILL PARRY
The Steinway Library in Astoria
has reopened to the public
after undergoing a $4.9 million
makeover.
Queens Public Library and
the city Department of Design
and Construction (DDC) announced
that the branch, located
at 21-45 31st St., now has a
new ADA elevator providing accessibility
to all three levels of
the building from the cellar to
the second floor. The children’s
area, teen area and multipurpose
room, as well as part of the
cellar, were renovated with new
ceilings, flooring, furniture and
lighting.
“These crucial upgrades to
the building offer the community
a library that is more inviting,
technologically efficient
and accessible to all,” Queens
Public Library President and
CEO Dennis M. Walcott said.
“We know the public has been
eagerly awaiting the reopening
of the branch, and we are truly
excited to welcome them and
serve them once again.”
Steinway Library is one of
the three original branches that
125 years ago had become part
of the Long Island City Public
Library system, which was later
renamed to Queens Borough
Public Library. The current
building opened in 1956.
“The historic Steinway Library
has been a critical anchor
of this community for the
generations of families who
have passed through its doors,”
Queens Borough President
Donovan Richards said. “With
this multimillion-dollar renovation
effort complete, all Astoria
families, regardless of ability,
finally have equitable access to
the educational and enrichment
opportunities this library provides.
Thank you to the Queens
Public Library and the NYC
Department of Design and Construction
for making the project
a reality and providing the
readers and residents of Astoria
with a state-of-the-art facility to
learn and grow. They deserve
nothing less.”
The branch was closed for
renovation in October 2018. The
construction included a new
ADA-accessible ramped entrance
and a 24/7 exterior book
returns machine at the main entrance
on 31st Street. Three new
restrooms were installed in the
cellar, including an all-gender,
single-occupant, ADA-accessible
restroom.
“The renovations at Steinway
Library improve and
update a vital community resource
for Astoria; a new elevator
also opens the library
to more New Yorkers, including
persons with disabilities,”
DDC Commissioner Thomas
Foley said. “This project is an
example of the great work we
are able to perform on behalf of
Queens Public Library to create
and enhance educational spaces
to communities throughout
Queens.”
Funding for the project was
provided by the de Blasio administration,
former Queens
Borough President Melinda
Katz, former Assemblywoman
Aravella Simotas and former
Councilman Costa Constantinides,
who is the current CEO
of Variety Boys and Girls Club
of Queens.
“I grew up reading with my
parents, doing my homework
and research at Steinway Library.
It was a great privilege,
as a Council member, to support
the renovations of ADA
upgrades including an elevator
and entrances, a renovated
children’s floor and upgrades
to the overall building,” Constantinides
said. “This work
ensures that families in our
community can rely on this
library into the future and continue
to make this our community
space. Thank you to Dennis
Walcott, QPL and all involved
for bringing these renovations
to fruition.”
Prior to the pandemic, Steinway
Library served nearly
200,000 customers and circulated
more than 225,000 materials
a year. QPL is in the process of
planning additional upgrades to
portions of the main floor and
cellar as well as a replacement
of the HVAC system.
Reach reporter Bill Parry
by e-mail at bparry@
schnepsmedia.com or by phone
at (718) 260–4538.
Jamaica native Jason Myles Clark has been named the new
executive director of Tech:NYC.
Photo courtesy of Jay Marist, Dos Ojos
Southeast Qns native named
incoming leader of Tech:NYC
Steinway Library reopens
following $4.9 million
rehabilitation project
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