Council Member Letitia James Rejects BPL's Real Estate Deals
Channel: CitizensDefendLibes
Date: 2013-03-12

New York City Council committee hearing on library budgets, March 8, 2013
James G. Van Bramer, chair

Video by Jonathan Barkey. License: Creative Commons. For broadcast rights, contact: jonathanbarkey.com

Entire hearing video available at: 
http://legistar.council.nyc.gov/DepartmentDetail.aspx?ID=7021&GUID=5E857830-B913-46E5-A804-566CC980172B

Brooklyn Council Member Letitia James recounts her childhood in Park Slope, "growing up in the stacks " of the Park Slope Library, reading Grimm's Fairy Tales. James then challenges Brooklyn Public Library President Linda Johnson to find "a better way" to save libraries than to "sell off historic treasures" in exchange for luxury housing, forcefully objecting to BPL's plan to demolish the Pacific Street branch. 

James asserts that she must now reconsider her support for the BAM South mixed-use housing development in her district — given that it is closely tied to BPL's plan to destroy the historic Carnegie Library at Pacific Street and sell the land to a developer. Says she stands with the Park Slope Civic Council, which just voted to oppose the plan.

Linda Johnson says that "I'd like to put your mind at ease", claiming the proposed replacement library in BAM South will be "far more effective than the Pacific branch" in providing library services. Claims to be "a fan of great architecture" and "a preservationist" but asserts that the Pacific Branch is "not capable" of properly serving the community. Cites recent rehab of the Park Slope branch as an example of "a great success story" in renovating a Carnegie Library "used to provide 21st century service". But avers that the Pacific branch is not amenable to that kind of renovation. Claims financial infeasibility, "just to make it ADA compliant". Says she is very excited by BAM South, "essentially, a cultural condominium, where we can collaborate with our neighbors and do all kinds of exciting things that we couldn't do on our own in a stand-alone library." 

Council Member James welcomes Johnson's offer to tour the Pacific branch but also demands that there be an "independent assessment of that library to determine whether or not it can be saved".