Community News
Saving an LIC Literary Institution
LIC community demands Queens Public Library to ‘act with
urgency’ to find a new home for Court Square Library
BY ANGÉLICA ACEVEDO
Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, a Queens
borough president candidate, led a rally to
demand the Queens Public Library “act with
urgency” to find the Court Square Library a
new home on Jan. 8, as the library’s last month at 25-01
Jackson Ave. quickly approaches.
“The Queens Library knew that this deadline was
looming. The library should have already been diligently
finding a new space for this public library but it doesn’t
appear that they’ve done so,” Van Bramer said. “This is
not a question of funding, the library received record
funding from the city of New York just this past June
and it never requested additional funding to cover any
expected rental increase.”
Although Court Square Library’s lease at One Court
Square will end in March with public service ending
in February, the QPL is committed to staying in the
neighborhood they’ve served for 30 years. The library
leased the space from Citigroup for $1 a month but Savanna
purchased the building in 2014 and is now seeking market
rent for the space.
“I believe they dragged their feet and now we’re in a
crisis where this community is faced with the loss of library
services,” Van Bramer said. “That’s absolutely outrageous
and absolutely unacceptable.”
In response to today’s rally, QPL President and CEO
Dennis M. Walcott said that he and his team have worked
for more than a year to find a new place for Court Square
Library, after Savanna made it clear that they didn’t want to
work with them.
“The mischaracterization of our efforts is unfortunate,”
Walcott said in the statement. “We are fully committed
to having a library in a growing neighborhood we have
served for 30 years and continue to work to identify
affordable and appropriate space. At the same time, the
reality is that we have a fiduciary responsibility to manage
the short- and long-term implications of securing a new
home in an area with skyrocketing rents.”
During the rally, Van Bramer was joined by Friends
of Court Square Library, Court Square Civic Association
and about a dozen residents of the Court Square area
who spoke about the value of the community resource
in Long Island City — the fastest growing neighborhood
in New York City.
“If we don’t stand together today and say that public
libraries stay, full stop, then a precedent has been set.
The idea that New York City does not need libraries will
slowly but surely become the new narrative,” Friends of
Court Square Library President Meghan Cirrito said. “In
a time when hate crimes are on the rise, New York City
housing insecurity becomes more prevalent and public
education is at a critical crossroads, we, all of New York
City, need public library service now more than ever.”
Michael Giuppone, a member of the Court Square Civic
Association, said that he and his family use the library on
a weekly basis. He added that the library has an important
“geo location” that serves the neighborhood in many
ways, including hosting community events for children.
22 JANUARY 2020 I LIC COURIER I www.qns.com
Angélica Acevedo
Representatives from Assemblywoman Cathy Nolan,
Senator Michael Gianaris and Congresswoman Carolyn
Maloney’s office also showed their support of the
community’s demands for a new space.
When asked about 5Pointz Towers, one of the new
locations that Community Board 2 suggested for the
Court Square Library, and how Developer Jerry Wolkoff
is considering the idea but said it would be “six-tenths of
a mile” from the new Hunters Point Library, Van Bramer
said that “wasn’t a good enough excuse.”
CB 2 member Sheila Lewandowski said she couldn’t
help but think the time for planning was 10 years ago,” and
that a failure to do so on behalf of the QPL is “irresponsible.”
Lewandowski, who was one of the people who
proposed 5Pointz for the new Court Square Library,
said this is also a zoning issue.
“When buildings come in … and they commit to
a public amenity, that public amenity really should be
permanent, because they’re getting a permanent increase
to their space,” Lewandowski said. “Why should they get
a permanent increase to their profit when they’re not
committing to a permanent public amenity? Had that
policy been in place, we wouldn’t even be standing here.”
Court Square Library serves 100,000 people every
year, and provides residents access to 10 workstations,
free internet, Microsoft Office software and free printing.
Walcott said that the QPL plans to meet with members
of the community, elected officials and Friends of Court
Square to provide an update about their next steps on
Thursday, Jan. 9.
Council member Jimmy Van Bramer led a rally outside of the Queens Public Library branch at Court Square on Jan. 8.
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