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Hudson County Politics Message Board |
Posted by City of Jersey City on June 23, 2004 at 16:58:37:
June 23, 2004, Jersey City, NJ-Jersey City Acting Mayor and Municipal Council President L.
Harvey Smith announced today that he is working with Library Director Priscilla Gardner on
plans for the dedication and grand opening ceremony of the Glenn D. Cunningham Branch of the
Jersey City Free Public Library & Community Center. Mr. Smith said that while no definite date
has been set, it now looks as though the ceremonies will be scheduled for some time in mid-
August. "This library is an especially fitting tribute to Glenn Cunningham as it reflects his love
of learning, history and community," Mr. Smith said.
The new branch - which is still under construction - is situated in the heart of Ward F on Martin
Luther King Drive between Bostwick and Myrtle Avenues. It is the first new library branch to be
built in Jersey City since 1962 and will replace the Claremont Branch down the street.
Acting Mayor Smith said the development of the one-story, 5,624-square-foot structure on its
20,804-square-foot property was financed through almost $2.25 million in Community
Development Block Grant and a half-million-dollar donation from the City Council's
Reinvestment Account. "We on the Council were especially dedicated to getting this project
started and seeing it completed because the people of the community were at the heart of the
plans," Mr. Smith stated. The new branch offers a blend of 21st Century technologies and
traditional library services the Acting Mayor said. In addition to its eight computer stations, the
interior of the building will include cases for 7,900 books and reading spaces for children, young
adults and adults. There will be a shaded reading area, space for storytelling and public events
outdoors, as well as a children's paving stone maze and on-site parking. The Jersey City Free
Public Library will make the 1,350-square-foot Community Center available to local non-profit
organizations and will offer special programming and outreach endeavors geared towards
schools, daycare and senior citizens centers and other community organizations.
Acting Mayor Smith said that personnel from the Claremont Branch will staff the new branch.
"That kind of continuity is important to the community - seeing familiar faces in a new
environment always makes people feel more at home," Mr. Smith stated. He said that while he
regrets that the community will not have a library for six weeks, he is sure people will
understand. "Mrs. Gardner and her staff are to be commended. They have everything planned so
that in a relatively small timeframe everything will be moved from the old site to the new and all
the new equipment and furnishings will be set up and ready for the community to use and enjoy,"
the Acting Mayor stated.
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Hudson County Politics Message Board |
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UrbanTimes.com |