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BPC Library to Get City Money For Construction
In March, New York City Councilman Alan Gerson told CB1 members that the city would contribute more than $1.7 million to cover ballooning construction costs for the new Battery Park City Library. During the first-ever meeting of a CB1 library task force July 1, a spokesman for Gerson's office said the money is in the new city budge and should be delivered later this month. "We're very happy about it," Gerson spokesman Matt Viggiano said. "It was a very difficult budget negotiation, and a lot of cuts were made...but the budget passed and the money's there." Interior construction of the 10,000 square-foot library, which will be housed in the ground floor of the River House Building being built at Murray Street and North End Avenue, was to be funded entirely by a $3.5 million donation from Goldman Sachs in exchange for CB1's support of its massive new office building in the neighborhood. However, in the nearly four years since that gift was negotiated, construction costs have skyrocketed, pushing the total cost of the new library to more than $5.2 million. Viggiano said the city funding should cover the difference between the project's original estimate and its current price tag. "It's fantastic news," task force chairman Dennis Gault said. "We want to thank Councilman Gerson for a job well done." With the extra funding in place, New York Public Library (NYPL) spokeswoman Teresa Myrhol said interior construction on the library could begin as soon as September. Barring further delays, Myrhol said the library construction could be complete by March 2010. The news from Gerson's office does not guarantee smooth sailing for the project, as NYPL would still have to come up with an additional $1 million for books before the library can open. Myrhol said library officials haven't determined where the funding will come from, largely because the department was waiting to see if the city money for the construction overruns made into the 2009 budget. "We do have some time," library spokeswoman Teresa Myrhol. "It's going to have to be worked out where that money's coming from. [NYPL] wants to raise the money separately from the budget." While the task force was vetting suggestions for raising the book money, Gault said it might be time for CB1 to reach out to Goldman Sachs and other high-profile development firms in Lower Manhattan for possible donations. "I think that approaching some of our wealthy neighbors is the right thing to do," Gault said.
"If the opportunity presents itself, I'm really excited to work on them," Otterness told the committee. The lions, meant to be a play on the iconic stone lions outside the public library on 5th Avenue, are likely to cost around $20,000, according to task force member Tom Goodkind, who said public finding probably would not be available for the sculptures. "I think it's important to make [the fundraising] as grassroots as possible, and to make it more of a community effort," he said. "That's the plan, I think, rather than just having it be one corporate donor." "It would identify the library in such a great way," Goodkind added. "It's so welcome, and such a great addition to the community. It just works in so many ways."
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