STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 A 92-year-old New York Public Library branch on Staten Island will soon undergo a massive renovation project, and officials are seeking input from the community.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, New York Public Library officials and local politicians announced that the West New Brighton branch, located at 976 Castleton Ave., is earmarked for an $18.4 million project.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor nearly a century, this branch has provided vital services, programs, classes and books to Staten Island residents,\u201d said George Mihaltses, the NYPL\u2019s vice president of government and community affairs.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast year, the branch received nearly 40,000 visits, circulated over 29,000 items. Now the time has come for a much needed makeover,\u201d he continued. <\/p>\n
The redesign will be managed by the New York City Economic Development Corporation, according to NYPL officials.<\/p>\n
While maintaining the original structure as much as possible, the plan is to expand the building\u2019s current footprint by 4,000 square feet.<\/p>\n
This will be used to create spaces for all ages \u2014especially a dedicated teen space \u2014while also installing new furniture, lighting and technology upgrades.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur libraries are so important, and they\u2019re multigenerational,\u201d said Councilmember Kamillah Hanks, a Democrat representing the Island\u2019s North Shore.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fact that we are now making these libraries more contemporary to fit the needs of our new, young people and our new generation \u2014 I\u2019m just really thankful to be here,” Hanks, who contributed funding for the upgrades, continued.<\/p>\n
NYPL officials also thanked Borough President Vito Fossella for providing funding for the redesign. <\/p>\n
Before any designs are finalized, however, officials in attendance also announced the start of a community engagement process.<\/p>\n
To inform the design of the revamped library, local residents are being encouraged to give their input in a short survey.<\/p>\n
The survey asks library patrons how frequently they visit the branch, which services they feel are most important, and even what type of furniture they would prefer.<\/p>\n
Residents can fill out the survey using a kiosk at the West New Brighton branch. In addition, the survey is available online in both English<\/a> and Spanish language options<\/a>. <\/p>\n The survey will be available until Dec. 5. After that, the results will be studied and incorporated into designs.<\/p>\n Construction is expected to begin in spring 2026, according to a press release from Hanks\u2019 office. <\/p>\n \u201cLibraries really represent a state of the art area where children can come with their brothers and sisters, their mothers and fathers,\u201d said Assemblymember Sam Pirozzolo, who was in attendance on Thursday.<\/p>\n \u201cIt really becomes more of a community involved thing. That\u2019s why we need libraries, because they are the lifeblood of our neighborhood. And as people traverse through the neighborhood, the library is there to help them,\u201d said Pirozzolo, a Republican representing the Mid-Island and parts of the West Shore.<\/p>\n The NYPL has invested millions in upgrading several branches on Staten Island in recent years.<\/p>\n The Richmondtown branch reopened this summer<\/a> after a $1.4 million replacement of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning and fire alarm systems.<\/p>\n The Port Richmond branch underwent a $29 million renovation<\/a>, which included: updated areas for children, teens and adults; multi-purpose rooms for a variety of programs and classes; the addition of a new elevator and ramps to accommodate the disabled, and upgraded technology and infrastructure. <\/p>\n In 2024, the NYPL unveiled plans for the construction of a new Huguenot branch<\/a> to replace the current building located at 830 Huguenot Ave., near a busy entrance ramp for the Korean War Veterans Parkway at the corner of Drumgoole Road East.<\/p>\n If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement<\/a> and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and\/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 A 92-year-old New York Public Library branch on Staten Island will soon undergo a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":23895,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[9,24,63,134,136,135],"class_list":["post-23894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-staten-island","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-staten-island","tag-staten-island-headlines","tag-staten-island-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23894","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23894"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23894\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23895"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23894"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23894"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23894"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}