whats new Sandy changes Hunter’s Point library plans BY ALEXA ALTMAN decided to increase the elevation of the lowest floor by half a foot.” Fear of another Sandy is altering According to King, none of the branch- plans for the Queens Library’s upcoming es of the Queens Library existing in the Hunter’s Point destination. hard hit areas of Arverne, the Rockaway The land supporting the Peninsula, Broad Channel and Seaside 21,500-square-foot facility, to be lo- suffered structural damage. Aside from cated at Center Boulevard and 48th Av- broken glass, minor flooding and dam- enue on the banks of the East River, will age to interior equipment and books, be graded an extra foot higher to avoid the buildings remained intact. The any possible flooding that could occur Broad Channel branch had been graded during another Sandy-type storm. While up, similarly to what will be done at the initial plans already placed the structure new Hunter’s Point location, which kept above the 100-year-flood line, library of- the building from experiencing as much ficials, architects and members of the damage as the other branches. Department of Design and Construction “Anything that could have been done (DDC) agreed an extra measure of cau- had been done in the sense that any pre- tion was necessary. caution that had been taken when they www.queenscourier.com “The building hasn’t been built yet,” were built near the beach was taken,” said Queens Library spokesperson said King. “There are no basements, Joanne King. “There’s no reason not to they were built on one level. They were make it even higher.” as safe as they could have been but it According to a spokesperson from was a very extraordinary circumstance.” the DDC, the library, which will sit 150 Changed to the building’s plan will feet from the shoreline, will be built to not affect the timeline, cost or the de- withstand dangerous weather, as are sign at this stage of construction, said • january 2013 • other Queens Library facilities. the DDC spokesperson. “Since the lowest floor of the library The structure will feature a cyber-cen- will be above the level of the floodwa- ter, roof terrace and communal garden ters from Sandy, it is not likely that the as well as separate reading spaces for building would be damaged by a simi- adults, teens and children. According lar storm,” said the spokesperson. “In to King, the building will place an em- 10 lic courier addition, the building is designed to phasis on environmental preservation, withstand winds considerably stronger implementing ecologically-sound fea- than Sandy’s. Nevertheless, out of an tures to create an entirely carbon neutral abundance of caution, the project team structure.
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