The Brooklyn Public Library’s Gravesend Branch will get a $250,000 makeover that will make the building more storm-resilient, officials announced on Nov. 24.
The library, located on Avenue X by W. Second Street, will receive a facade upgrade with brick masonry reconstruction and window replacement, site drainage in the parking lot, and repairs in the basement to stop leaking during rainstorms.
Library leaders say that officials began designing the renovation before the COVID-19 pandemic, but construction will not begin until the New York City Department of Design and Construction resumes non-essential construction projects, which have been paused because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Once construction begins, the renovations will take between 2.5 and three years, library officials said.
The funds for the fix-up were allocated by Treyger, who said he heard that the library needed to fill a budgetary shortfall for the construction.
“I look forward to the new chapter that awaits the Gravesend library,” said Treyger, who said he allocated the capital funds after hearing that the renovations had been put on pause because of the shortfall. “It is a neighborhood resource center that so many of our residents rely on, and it will be a major quality of life improvement for our community to have a state-of-the-art facility to enjoy.”
The library’s chief executive thanked Treyger for his contributions, and said that the renovations will greatly improve the Gravesend Branch, which has remained closed amid the pandemic.
“We are grateful to Councilman Treyger for allocating $250,000 toward a crucial building upgrade at Gravesend Library and for his longstanding support of libraries across his district and the borough,” said Linda E. Johnson, the president of Brooklyn Public Library. “Brooklyn Public Library’s mission is to provide a safe welcoming space to learn and grow in every neighborhood, and we look forward to the day when we can welcome patrons back to their improved branch.”
Correction: A previous version of this article said that construction on the renovations began before the COVID-19 pandemic. The design phase began, but construction won’t start until after the Department of Design and Construction resumes non-essential construction.
