WORLD WORLDWIDE USA New York NY New York City NYC thecity THE CITY News Journal Update - THE CITY SCOOP: Libraries Face $1 Billion Gap for Repair of Decrepit Buildings

 

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If you know anyone who might like this newsletter, send it to them. If this was sent to you by someone else, subscribe here — it's free!  Dear New Yorkers, Broken air conditioners. Clogged toilets. Leaky ceilings. Much-needed fixes at 200+ NYC libraries are running years late. One project to install sprinklers at a Chelsea library has now stretched on for 163 months.  And the overall tab for repairs tops $1 billion, budget records reveal. That’s up from $900M in 2019. The ballooning costs to maintain and repair facilities present another challenge for the city’s three library systems. Plus, the Adams administration is seeking to take $36.2 million off the books in library expenses before the city's executive budget is due June 30.  “Few things are as important to local communities as their library projects, whether it's a new HVAC system, new doors or roof, or an expansion,” said Jimmy Van Bramer, a former City Council member from Queens who chaired a committee overseeing libraries. Read more here. Some other items of note: Tomorrow, June 27, is Election Day. While all of New York’s 51 City Council seats were up for grabs in redrawn districts, not all of them have contested primaries. We’ve put together a guide to the five most competitive races. See if your district is among them — and check out our Know Your District tool for information about every City Council contest, including candidate backgrounds, redistricting changes and more. Mayor Eric Adams on Friday vetoed four City Council bills aimed at moving people into permanent housing, saying the legislation went beyond the Council’s legal authority. The bills were passed May 25, and include measures to scrap a rule that requires a person to be in a homeless shelter for 90 days before being able to apply for a housing voucher. Adams has said the bills could cost the city billions of dollars and make it more difficult for people to find affordable housing. The Council has vowed to override the veto. On the latest episode of the FAQ NYC podcast, Ben Smith talks with Azi Paybarah about Silicon Alley, the internet of the early 2000s, and why local politics is less scalable than it used to be.  For the latest local numbers on COVID-19 hospitalizations, positivity rates and more, check our coronavirus tracker. Weather scoop by New York Metro Weather Monday’s Weather Rating: 3/10. Oof. Warm, humid and stormy. Showers and storms, some severe, will move in from late morning into the afternoon. Dew points remain way too high. The vibes are very unstable — again — today! THE KICKER: In upper Manhattan, Community Board 7 has approved a secondary street sign on the corner West 95th and Central Park West to honor Catherine “Katy” Ferguson. The educator and social worker lived from 1779 to 1854, and was born into slavery in New York. She became a champion for educating the city’s poor. (If you’re curious: here’s our guide to renaming a street in NYC.)   Thanks, as always, for reading. Make it a great Monday. Love, THE CITY P.S. If you liked something about today's newsletter, or didn't, let us know at zshah@thecity.nyc

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