Location for Hunters Point Library
Feb. 11, 2014 By Christian Murray
The development of the highly-anticipated Hunters Point Community Library continues to face delays as builders remain unwilling to erect it for the $28 million on offer.
“No one should give you a date as to when we can do a groundbreaking,” said Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, who spoke at the Friends of Gantry Neighborhood Parks meeting at PS/IS 78Q last week. He said the library has yet to find a builder who is willing to construct it for the $28 million on offer—and said that additional city funds might be needed in order to entice a developer to erect it.
The project was put out for bid last year. However, the city received quotes from builders to do the job that were 40% more the $28 million that was funded.
Since then, the library and the city have gone back and revised the design—which they believe reduces the cost of the construction job by $5 million via a process known as value engineering.
“We worked out what wasn’t essential and left those pieces out,” Van Bramer said. However, “it is still essentially the same design.”
The design has always been an elaborate one. It features a rooftop terrace with panoramic views of the city skyline, a garden, a gallery, a conference room, a computer center and youth and teen spaces. The 21,500 square-foot facility, which will be built at Center Blvd and 48th Ave (next to Gantry Plaza State Park) , will be largely a glass and cement structure.
The project is back out for bid and the latest round of quotes are expected to come in within the next couple of months. If a builder can do the job for $28 million (via the revised plan) then Van Bramer expects a groundbreaking by the end of the year.
However, if the city is unable to find a builder that can do it for the price, then Van Bramer and other elected officials will have to find additional funding—which will cause further delays.
At this point, Van Bramer said, “It is out of my control and is in the hands of architects and contractors.”
However, Van Bramer assured residents that the library will be built—he just doesn’t know when.
“I had hoped it would have been completed during my first term, now I am hoping it will be done by the end of my second [2017].”
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11 Comments
Folks, get real. Look for a sweetheart deal with a “kind & helpful” builder willing to put up ten or more stories of apartments atop the site. Just to help out of course. Queens Library’s Galante appears to appreciate delay leads to desperation. Not saying pay-off.
Folks, no infighting, and could we have some hard-ass words and words and
push at the politicos. Rally! Push De Blasio. Push Van Bramer to get real!
did not mean leg breaking tactics
go read another novel
i meant shady building with substandard “illegal labor”
so build your crappy project and rip off some morons
No nice speeches about the schools he brought here. Did he bring the schools or was he lucky to serve in the right term?
Increase funding or decrease ambitious design. This has been going on since more than 4 years.
For the next zoning change (i.e. the waterfront) demand that a library be built in exchange for zoning change (hello 5ptz). Better than any affordable apts.
I don’t hear JVB ranting and raving, all I hear is crickets. If this was Sunnyside he would be up in arms. Another JVB failure for LIC. Also JVB please put down the cell phone while driving and stop at the STOP sign, the VTL is written for everyone councilmen are not exempt.
Anonymous,
You obviously know very little about NYC construction and from your remarks it looks like you come from bumblefuck yourself. There are plenty of buildings which were recently or currently being built that are non-union – I know because the fund I work for has invested in a few of them. Of course the city would never build non-union because politicians would lose the union votes and money during elections. The time of breaking legs and getting concrete shoes if you didn’t use union has been over for a while.
Everything is bid and contracted through the City, so going non-union isn’t an option.
In any case, since we won’t have a library in the neighborhood anytime soon, please sign and share this petition for book mobile service.
http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/book-mobile-library-service
“If they build it non-union it with probably save them 25% to 30%. I am all for the working class getting paid fair wages but the construction labor in this city is out of control.”
lol go back to west bumblefuck asswipe
build union in nyc or you are asking for trouble
*would not with
If they build it non-union it with probably save them 25% to 30%. I am all for the working class getting paid fair wages but the construction labor in this city is out of control.
Thanks LICPOST, I think everyone was wondering what was going on.
Shouldn’t the architect have had some idea how much this was going to cost? Are we paying the architect now to help us figure this out?
and away we go! this after the CLOSED meeting on the 5th between the buildings and library. . .. let’s see what goes on tonight.