STATEN ISLAND, NY–Borough President James P. Molinaro today announced the allocation of $325,000 in capital funding to the College of Staten Island for infrastructure improvements and special projects.
A total of $135,000 has been allocated to the College to help fund a Transportation Modeling and Visualization Laboratory. The laboratory will be part of a technology center that will support transportation modeling for Staten Island and the Southern Corridor of New York State, which links New Jersey with Brooklyn, Queens, and Long Island, and is considered one of the key transportation routes for freight, passenger vehicles, and mass transit in the region and heavily impacts traffic congestion on Staten Island. The modeling lab will enable students, faculty, and researchers to estimate the current system performance as well as model the potential impact to Staten Island should changes be made in the system.
The improvements to the library rotunda will include construction of a new entrance consisting of two pairs of doors and a temperature-conditioned vestibule between them. A total of $100,000 has been allocated for the improvement, which will help limit the inflow of extreme hot or cold air into the library lobby. The new doors will provide greater comfort for library users as well as energy savings for the College.
The Archives and Special Collections project boasts several collections of papers from elected officials, including former State Senator John Marchi and the late former Assemblywoman Elizabeth Connelly. Borough President Molinaro is providing $90,000 to the College to help purchase appropriate shelving and a new display area within the library to showcase parts of the collections. In addition, Borough President Molinaro is coordinating the donation of former Borough President Guy V. Molinari’s papers to the Archives, and will donate his own papers when he leaves office at the end of the year 2009.
CSI President Marlene Springer said, “CSI continues to be grateful for Borough President Molinaro’s support–with this funding for the library rotunda and archive exhibition area, our students, faculty, and community will have comfortable access to a wider variety of the archived materials that have been so generously donated to the college. The funding for the Transportation Modeling Laboratory will provide students with the tools needed to research current trends and develop predictions for the future of transportation in our area. We thank him for funding these projects.”
Borough President Molinaro said, “I am delighted to be able to fund projects that improve the educational environment for students at CSI. I am particularly proud to be donating my papers to the college, and it is my hope that the archives collection continues to grow and provide a wonderful, hands-on learning experience for students.”
