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Peninsula Library Set To Reopen




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Queens Library staffers leave messages of goodbye on the temporary trailer that housed the Peninsula Library.

Queens Library staffers leave messages of goodbye on the temporary trailer that housed the Peninsula Library.

Sometime in late August, the Peninsula Library will become the last of the libraries in Rockaway to reopen its doors after it was completely destroyed by Superstorm Sandy almost three years ago.

On July 20, as preparations continued for the reopening, staff said goodbye to, and wrote messages on the trailer that housed the temporary library during the long renovation.

“Queens Library joins everyone in the Rockaways in celebrating the reopening of the Queens Library at Peninsula,” said Bridget Quinn- Carey, the president and CEO of the Queens Library. “The reconstructed library has new collections, new furniture, new decor, and features that will help make the building less susceptible to damage from future weather events.”

In an email to The Wave, Joanne King, a spokesperson for the Queens Library, called the resiliency features for the new library “unique.”

“In the old building, the front of the building was glass almost to the ground,” King explained. “It was blown out immediately by the storm surge. There is now a concrete half-wall which would do a better job of keeping the water out. Electrical, data, and HVAC units have been relocated to the roof rather than ground-level. There are retractable storm barriers.”

King also described some of the updates patrons will find in the new Peninsula Library.

“There will be a separate entry/exit vestibule for the program room that was not in the original building,” King said. “The children’s room is larger than it was before with a separate early childhood area.”

The library will house a teen area with a gaming area, an Adult Learning Center and an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant toilet.

New programs for parents and children is also going to be available once the new library opens.

“Family Place Programming is an enhanced program for early learners to give parents tools to help their children become good readers, “wrote King.

A ceremonial grand reopening will be held Sept. 8, with events and community activities scheduled throughout the following week.

As for the temporary trailer that housed the Peninsula Library all this time, it was scheduled to be hauled away this week. One message probably summed up what everyone felt: “You served us well. Goodbye.”


So long temporary library. Next stop -- the new, improved Peninsula Library.

So long temporary library. Next stop — the new, improved Peninsula Library.

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