SANDY ONE YEAR LATER: Coney Island Library now full of books and light, not water
One by one, Brooklyn’s Sandy-damaged libraries reopened, first in Gravesend, Brighton Beach, and Sheepshead Bay, and then Red Hook and most recently Gerritsen Beach. Now, almost 12 months to the day after being flooded with five feet of water, the Coney Island Library reopened its doors, finally dry, clean, restocked, and full of light, art, and hope.
“Among our branches, the worst of the damage from Hurricane Sandy occurred at Coney Island Library,” said Linda E. Johnson, president of the Brooklyn Public Library (BPL). “Since the storm, we have completely renovated the building, making it ADA-compliant, reconfigured the interior, created new meeting rooms and added new technology throughout. It has taken a tremendous amount of work, but today we are thrilled to welcome the Coney Island community back to their beautifully renovated neighborhood library.”
Design, reconstruction, equipment, and books cost $2.7 million, some of which were contributed by grants from the AIG Disaster Relief Fund and the Mayor’s Fund to Advance NYC. The first floor had to be completely gutted and rebuilt, and the boiler, elevator, electrical, and air/HVAC systems, plus books and furniture were replaced.