Photo: QueensPost
June 26, 2012 By Christian Murray
The New York City budget deal struck between the City Council and Mayor Michael Bloomberg last night has ensured that the Woodside and Sunnyside library branch hours will not be cut.
The mayor had proposed cutting $26.7 million from the Queens Library system’s 2013 budget, which would have led to 600 layoffs across the borough and branch closures. However, most of the funds have been restored as part of the deal.
The cuts would have led to the closure of about one-third of the 62 branch libraries in Queens, with most of the remaining branches – including the Woodside and Sunnyside branches– being open just three days per week.
The Sunnyside branch is currently one of 18 branch libraries in Queens that is open six days per week—with Saturday service. Woodside is open five days per week; its Saturday service ended in 2010.
Joanne King, the communications director for Queens Library, said that the branch hours at Sunnyside (open Saturday) and Woodside will not be changed.
“Every library in every community will remain open at least five days a week,” said Queens Library President and CEO Thomas Galante in a statement after the deal was announced. “Layoffs have been averted.”
Galante said that there “more than 85,000 people signed petitions and wrote postcards and attendees rallies,” in order to protect the Queens Library system from cuts. The Queens Library system serves a population of 2.3 million.
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6 Comments
I would also like to thank Councilman Jimmy VanBramer for his tireless efforts on behalf of his constiuents and more for his rallying crys to save the libraries! Thank you.
To Emperor Bloomberg – counting how much longer we have to live under your thumb!
I agree with Mike Novak our town hero… we need a mayor for the people not the rich… we need our services for our kids our school aids our techers… stop using scare sysems and talk to us like human beings.. we put you in office and we can take you out of office.. our local business needs to have their problems solved easeir not harder… we need to market our town bettre and promote our town better..we need business here if the bid is not doing its job then we need an org to help them or get rid of them..what happened to the blvd allance group what are they doing to promote the blvd business..
Politics aside, I like both of our libraries and am glad to hear they are still going to be open.
Hurrah, Mike Novak. Obviously, Bloomberg considers wealthy people worthy of giveaways, and regular people unworthy of even 5 minute grace periods. With all due respect, his true colors are money green and coward yellow.
I agree with Mike Novak. Politicians always threaten to cut essential, legitimate government services like firehouses and libraries as if there is no real fat in the budget they could cut – like useless and redundant administrative staff, patronage and no-show jobs, superfluous government offices like the Borough Presidents, public sector salaries and perks etc…
Bloomberg is a real piece of work. He threatens to close libraries, cut afterschool programs, close firehouses because there is not enough money in the coffers…then he GIVES 23 ACRES OF LAND….FREE…NO CHARGE…GRATIS…to the multi-millionaire WILPONS & CO.
Why was that land not put up for bid on the “FREE MARKET”???
Disgusting.