Community News
ASTORIA’S STEINWAY LIBRARY
SET TO CLOSE FOR RENOVATIONS
BY ALEJANDRA O’CONNELL-DOMENECH
Starting on Saturday,
Oct. 27, the Stein-way
Library at 21-45
31st St. in Astoria,
will close for reno-vations.
The branch
is expected to reopen in the fall of
2019.
“Residents in our community love
this branch of the library and the reno-vations
will make it even more appeal-ing,”
said Assemblywoman Aravella
Simotas.
The majority of the work done on
the library will be done to make the
location more accessible for patrons
with physical disabilities. In compliance
with the Americans with Disabilities Act
guidelines, a new ramp will be installed
at the front of the library on 31st Street.
Other new amenities include a new
external elevator tower that will serve all
three floors which will be constructed
in the building’s rear courtyard with
steel tube framing with an aluminum
framed curtain wall enclosure. The
enclosure is made up of translucent
glass panels to provide diffused light
and views into the courtyard.
24 OCTOBER 2018 I LIC COURIER I www.qns.com
The second floor will will be reno-vated
and new offices will be created in
the cellar of the library, according Ewa
Kern-Jedrychowska, deputy communi-cations
director of the Queens Library.
It remains unclear as to what exactly
will be done on the second floor.In
addition, a new roof will be installed, a
book sorting station will be created and
the masonry of the library will be fixed.
To increase efficiency, energy ef-ficient
insulated glazing will be used
at the new entrance and the roof will
receive new insulation.
The library’s renovations will cost
$3.9 million and comes after Borough
President Melinda Katz secured $9.5
million in funding for three library proj-ects
in early August. Renovation was
designed by Huff + Golden Architects
under the New York City Department of
Design and Construction’s Excellence
2.0 program.
Starting Nov. 3, mobile library
service will be provided on Wednes-days
and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to
5 p.m., with full service available at
nearby Queens Library locations,
including Astoria (14-01 Astoria
Blvd.) , Broadway (40-20 Broad-way),
and Long Island City (37-44
21st St.).
/www.qns.com
