FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 27, 2017

Speaker Heastie Joins Assemblymember Barrett On Tour of FDR Library and Museum


Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie today joined Assemblymember Didi Barrett in Hyde Park to tour the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.

"It is an honor to visit the FDR Library and Museum. Roosevelt is generally viewed as a progressive President who moved our country forward during difficult times, he was also a New Yorker and committed to the ensuring this state was best among equals," said Speaker Heastie. "He continued to elevate our state by placing his library and museum in his hometown, bringing tourism to Hyde Park and Dutchess County."

"I feel so privileged to have the FDR Presidential Library and Museum in my Assembly district and I was thrilled to share this, the nation's first presidential library, with Speaker Heastie today," said Assemblymember Barrett. "While I was Chair of the Task Force on People with Disabilities, I began the conversation to establish a role for the library as a statewide disability advocate. Additionally, as Chair of Libraries and Education Technology Committee, I look forward to highlighting the range of libraries and the diverse services they provide in our communities across New York State."

The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Library and Museum was renovated and updated in 2013, bringing its contents up to the National Archives' standards for the preservation of historic collections. Last year it celebrated its 75th anniversary and it continues to be a major destination for scholars, tourists, and dignitaries.

The visit to the FDR Presidential Library also showcases the town of Hyde Park, which is in the middle of a multi-million dollar project to create a walkable, downtown hub linked to the Library as well as water and sewer infrastructure which the town does not currently have.