NEW YORK DAILY NEWS CITY HALL BUREAU
Monday, April 28, 2014, 9:03 PM
The city is tightening the cash spigot on the embattled Queens library system.
Officials from the city Department of Design and Construction told the City Council Monday that they’ve frozen payments that allowed the library to use a portion of its capital budget on its own projects with minimal city oversight.
“They’re all on hold,” DDC deputy commissioner David Resnick said.
The freeze covers some $ 20.27 million in projects — including the Queens Central Library renovations exposed by the Daily News that have gotten library president Thomas Galante in hot water.
City officials say they won’t release any funding until they’ve received sufficient documentation the expenses are legitimate.
Among the money that’s being withheld is $ 14.93 million in reimbursement for renovations at the Central Library — where Galante renovated an executive suite, complete with an outdoor smoking deck.
The FBI and city Department of Investigation are now investigating Galante in a probe that appears to center on how he spent construction cash, The News has reported.
Also frozen for now is $ 4.03 million for the Richmond Hill library and $ 1.31 million for Cambria Heights.
The library has typically been able to use about 5% of its capital budget — which totals $ 171 million for 2014 to 2017 — on projects it chooses, contracts out, and manages itself.
Council members said the arrangement is ripe for abuse. “This hearing exposed a gaping hole in the ability for the city to oversee tens of millions of dollars in library capital projects,” said Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Queens), chair of the Cultural Affairs committee. “It seems like an invitation for trouble.”
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