By Patrick Donachie
Baisley Park Community Library in South Jamaica will undergo renovations that will make the facility compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, improving access to the building’s collection for individuals who previously had difficulty entering the space.
State Sen. James Sanders (D-Rochdale Village) and others described the renovations at a news conference outside the library Tuesday.
The state Education Department allocated nearly half a million dollars for the repairs, which will include an update of the library’s first floor interior and public rest rooms. The library will receive the funding next spring.
“Sadly, this library was built at a time when we didn’t think about making sure that the disabled could utilize this space also, so we are going to straighten that out,” Sanders said. “They are part of our family, too, and we want to make sure that everybody in our family is allowed in. We are going to take away every impediment that has prevented the disabled from coming to this library.”
At the conference, Sanders was joined by library officials, including Kelvin Watson, the chief operating officer and senior vice president of Queens Library, as well as Kevin Livingston, the founder and president of 100 Suits For 100 Men.
“We have a need to modernize libraries to create world-class libraries to meet the ever growing needs and changes of the community,” Watson said.
Reach reporter Patrick Donachie by e-mail at pdona
