Queens Gazette

Participatory Budgeting Winning Projects Are Unveiled





Councilmember Costa Constantinides announced on May 5 the results of this year’s participatory budgeting process for his district.

Councilmember Costa Constantinides announced on May 5 the results of this year’s participatory budgeting process for his district.

Councilmember Costa Constantinides announced on May 5 the results of this year’s participatory budgeting process for his district. This year’s winning District 22 Participatory Budgeting projects are:

1. Public School District-wide Tech Upgrades, $245,000 – 825 votes.

Technology upgrades of $35,000 each for: PS 84, PS 122, PS 234, IS 235, PS 17, PS 2, IS 141.

2. Dog Run in Astoria at Hoyt Avenue, between 23rd and 24th Streets, $500,000 – 773 votes. To turn Triboro Lot C under the RFK Bridge, which is currently empty, into a dog run.

3. IS 126 Playground at 31-51 21st St., LIC, $500,000 – 715 votes.

To help transform the parking lot of IS 126 into a recreational playground for the school and the entire community.

Constantinides originally committed to allocating $1 million of his FY 2015-2016 discretionary budget to the winners of participatory budgeting. The first two projects cost $745,000. Funding the third project would take the total to $1,245,000. Constantinides plans to allocate more funding from his discretionary budget to fully support all three projects.

This year, 2,204 residents of the 22nd District cast ballots. The 2014 citywide participatory budgeting cycle reached approximately

1,700 voters per district.

“We all look forward to seeing these winning projects be implemented. I am proud of the work that everyone has done throughout participatory budgeting. The entire process has been community-driven, inclusive, and engaging. I am excited to see the strong voter response to participatory budgeting, giving a voice in the city budgeting process to the residents of the 22nd District. The technology upgrades across the district, a new dog run in a neighborhood that currently lacks even one, and a playground in a school where students have no official schoolyard will enrich the lives of families and children throughout Astoria. I thank everyone who participated, including facilitators, budget delegates, voting site volunteers, and all the residents who voted,” Constantinides said.

The participatory budgeting process involves a series of meetings that feed into the city’s annual budget cycle. Hundreds of community members attended four assemblies, held in October and November throughout Astoria and Jackson Heights, and brainstormed project ideas. Close to 100 residents volunteered to be budget delegates. These delegates broke into groups that worked on specific issues and transformed the initial list of 250 capital project ideas into a ballot of 18 fully-formed proposals.

In mid-April, more than 2,200 residents cast ballots on their favorite projects. Voting took place at sites across the district, including community rooms, shopping centers, offices, schools, libraries, subway stations, and parks.


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