Council Member Sandra Ung received a firsthand look at a project to install a new elevator in the Flushing Library, as well as news that the library will reopen to the public in April.

Averaging approximately 6,000 visitors per day, one of the busiest library branches in the nation closed in March 2020 along with the rest of the city at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. But when other library branches began to reopen, the Flushing Library remain closed due to issues with the HVAC system.

A temporary HVAC system is in place, however the library is still closed due to a project to add a second elevator. Queens Public Library President & CEO Dennis Walcott and Department of Design and Construction Commissioner Thomas Foley told Council Member Ung the library will reopen to the public next month after a plan is put in place for work to proceed safely while the public uses the facility.

“I’m so relieved that we finally have an idea when the Flushing Library will reopen to the public,” said Council Member Sandra Ung. “This library is more than a place to check out books, it’s the heart of the Flushing community. Especially in an immigrant community like ours, the library is essential to seniors and families, as well as a place for students to gather after school. I am also glad that with the addition of a new elevator, it will be even more accessible to more members of our community.”

When work on the new elevator is complete in summer of 2023, the existing elevator will be refurbished.