Bay Shore Neighborhood Library celebrates its grand reopening
The renovated building is more energy efficient but retains its mid-century charm.
After a year and a half of renovations, the century-old Bay Shore Neighborhood Library in Belmont Shore reopened Saturday to much cheer from residents and public officials.
“Good morning! Is this exciting!” said Councilmember Kristina Duggan to rousing applause from attendees at the grand reopening.
The standing-room-only event took place Saturday, Jan. 11, with about 200 book lovers and library patrons of every age pouring into the library’s community room. They munched pastries and sipped beverages provided by Friends of the Long Beach Public Library while they listened to speakers who came to share in the celebration.
“This library turned 104! That says a lot about the transformational power that libraries have had in this particular community,” said Mayor Rex Richardson.
The Bay Shore library had been closed for about a year and a half while the building underwent renovations that included painting inside and outside, insulating windows with double panes and raising their height to allow for possible future sea level rise; installing automatic doors and a new ADA-compliant ramp to provide accessibility for wheelchairs, strollers and wagons; constructing a sheltered space outside the community room for relaxing and reading with the family or solo; putting in LED lighting for reduced energy usage; and adding temperature control.
“How many places have a library where you can sit and enjoy looking out on the water?” Duggan asked.
“[The renovations are] going to help the building last longer and help us to be more environmentally conscious,” Richardson said.
During the renovation’s long planning process, city officials and bureau heads took the community’s wishes into consideration while still preserving the mid-century modern look of the library.
“When planning these improvements, we wanted to preserve the original charm,” said Marilyn Surakus, the Project Management Bureau manager in the Public Works Department. “That was really a priority based on the feedback we got from the community. We took that to heart, and we worked diligently to preserve the library’s history and its functionality.”
Cathy DeLeon, the Long Beach Public Library director, also thanked the renovation team. She said that the building’s closure didn’t stop services for children, which were ongoing. During the months of renovation, library officials scheduled 120 story times in city parks, fire stations and other locations.
“Our wonderful children’s librarians took their show on the road,” she said. “They welcomed nearly 6,200 attendees, some of whom had never been to a library before. Now that we’re open, they’ll come here, too!”
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