BY BILL PARRY
A day after Queens Public Library and
Citi reached an agreement with Citi
that enables its Court Square branch
to remain open at its current location
until March 2020, community leaders
rallied outside One Court Square on May 1 calling
for a permanent home for their library. QPL opened
the branch in a 3,200-square-foot ground floor
space in 1989 paying $1 month on a sublease
deal that was to expire in August.
“Extending the Queens Public Library’s sublease
at Court Square is an important, short-term win, but
we will not stop fighting until we secure a perma-nent
home,” City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer
said. “The Court Square Library is an indispensable
resource for our rapidly growing community. We
must do all we can to protect, enhance, and expand
it invaluable services. Closing a public library is
never an option.”
20 MAY 2019 I LIC COURIER I www.qns.com
The Court Square branch attracts nearly 100,000
people a year, and offers hundreds of programs
for the growing community of residents and em-ployees
of local businesses and government and
nonprofit organizations.
“The outpouring of support for the Court Square
branch from this community, our elected officials,
Citi and others is a major indicator of the importance
of this library,” Queens Public Library President and
CEO Dennis M. Walcott said. “It further fuels our
determination to find a permanent space for this
treasured asset that has put tens of thousands of
people on a path to success.”
Savanna, the real estate company that bought
the 53-story tower formerly known as the Citi-group
Building, is said to be seeking market rent
for the space. Savanna was burned by Amazon’s
decision to scuttle its HQ2 campus plan in Long
Island City, as the e-commerce giant was set
to lease more than 1.5 million square feet of
office space in the tower to use as a temporary
headquarters during the build-out of the HQ2
complex.
“Local residents are grateful the Court Square
Library lease was extended through early 2020,
however this is a continuation of ad-hoc band aid
solutions we’ve seen,” Court Square Civic Associa-tion
President Frank Wu said. “More permanent
solutions need to be found for the community,
including placement of a new zoned elementary
school that we’ve been promised.”
Meghan Cirrito, the president of the Friends of
Court Square Library, explained why the community
was so upset about pending sublease expiration.
“The Friends of Court Square Library are pleased
that our beloved community library will be staying
in its current location until next March,” she said.
“The public library is a vital ‘third place’ for Long
Island City and we will continue to support and
advocate for Court Square Library, its staff, and
the surrounding community. Public library service
is a right, not a luxury.”
Community News
Court Square residents rally for a permanent
home for their library branch which is currently
on borrowed time at One Court Square.
Courtesy of Van Bramer's office
Finding
a Home
for
Court
Square
Library
Community rallies for permanent home
for beloved library branch
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/www.qns.com
