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BROOKLYN WEEKLY, FEB. 24, 2019
On February 14, 2019, history
was made with the signing into
law by Governor Andrew Cuomo
of the “Child Victim’s Act.”
This Act will ensure that those
who abuse children are held accountable
criminally and civilly
for their wrongdoing. In addition,
this new statue creates a
path to justice for victims. The
bill extends the civil statute of
limitations to allow civil actions
to be brought until a victim’s
55th birthday for child sexual
abuse which occurred before
age 18. A one year window has
been created for adult survivors
to commence civil actions for
damages which under current
law are barred because of the
statute of limitations. This one
year window will begin on August
14, 2019 so victims up until
their 55th birthday can bring
civil lawsuits against individuals
or public and private institutions
from churches to public
school districts for child sexual
abuse that they may have suffered
many decades ago.
The Legislature also removes
the current Notice of
Claim requirements for public
entities in cases involving child
sexual abuse so a Notice of Intention
to make claim against
municipalities within 90 days is
not required in order to bring a
lawsuit.
Sexual abuse against a child
is a shameful unforgivable act.
It is a traumatizing experience
that can take a lifetime to come
to terms with. While this new
law cannot erase what happened
to victims, it will give victims
an opportunity to recover damages
in a Court of Law for what
happened to them.
While the one year window
to bring a legal action will not
begin August 14, 2019, victims
should consult an attorney as
soon as possible to begin the
painful and arduous task of
their gathering medical records
and other evidence of their victimization.
Governor Cuomo and the
state Legislature are to be commended
for making the “Child
Victim’s Act” a reality.
LIBRARY
back and relax with their
favorite titles, according to
regional librarian Sharron
Lahey.
“Because it’s going to be
a more fl exible and bigger
space, I think we’ll have
more opportunities for
more members of the community
to come and use
our space,” Lahey said at
a Feb. 11 meeting of the local
Community Board 13’s
Education and Youth Committee.
The two-story, more
than century-old library on
Mermaid Avenue at W. 19th
Street will fully shutter for
approximately 120 days on
April 1, when workers will
begin asbestos abatement
and demolition work, according
to Lahey.
Contractors will then
renovate and expand the
branch’s second-fl oor meeting
room, and install a new
heating-and-cooling system
in that space.
The makeover will also
transform the library’s second
fl oor into a tech hub
with more than 20 laptops,
which locals will be able
to borrow, and additional
electrical outlets, among
other features. And redesigning
that fl oor will allow
librarians to turn the
branch’s entire fi rst fl oor
into a dedicated children’s
space, according to library
spokeswoman Fritzi
Bodenheimer.
Reading-room leaders
hope the fi rst-fl oor transformation
will be done by
August, and plan to reopen
that level to patrons while
contractors spend the next
fi ve months polishing off
the second fl oor, according
to Lahey, who said the
GETTING UPGRADED: The Coney Island Library, seen here when
it reopened in 2013 after repairs following superstorm Sandy, will
fully close for four months on April 1 for new renovations.
File photo by Elizabeth Graham
upper story’s work should
wrap by early 2020 at the
latest.
Staffers will continue
to host the library’s regular
family and kids programming
— including
its weekly story-time and
homework-help sessions
— at the neighborhood
YMCA and Jewish Community
Council, and at local
day-care centers and
schools, during the facility’s
four-month full closure,
Lahey said. But the
branch’s monthly adult-media
classes hosted by artsand
culture organization
Bric will be suspended until
the entire renovation is
complete, she said.
And patrons looking
for a good book during the
full closure can visit one of
the library system’s bookmobiles,
which will park
outside the Coney branch
twice a week when the facility
is off limits to locals,
according to Lahey.
“Unfortunately there
are going to be some pain
points because we’re closed
for four months, but we’re
going to do our best to have
staff work out in different
community organizations
and in the schools,” she
said.
The People’s Playground
branch last closed in 2012,
when it shuttered for a year
after superstorm Sandy
fl ooded the building with
fi ve feet of water, requiring
more than $2 million to replace
plumbing, fl ooring,
computers, electrical wiring,
furniture, and thousands
of books . But that
cash only paid for renovations
to the fi rst fl oor, Lahey
said.
Councilman Mark Treyger
(D–Coney Island) and
Borough President Adams
together allocated a little
more than one million
dollars towards the forthcoming
renovations’ total
$1.4-million cost, according
to Bodenheimer, who said
the rest of the money required
for the project came
from city capital funds and
a private donor, and that
most of the funds will be
spent renovating the second
fl oor meeting room.
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