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Read the press release here.

Schools Win Big in $2M Taxpayer Funding for Red Hook and Sunset Park

By Nikhita Venugopal | May 8, 2015 1:15pm | Updated on May 11, 2015 8:48am
 Councilman Carlos Menchaca announces the results of District 38's participatory budgeting program in Red Hook Library last year.
Councilman Carlos Menchaca announces the results of District 38's participatory budgeting program in Red Hook Library last year.
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DNAinfo/Nikhita Venugopal

BROOKLYN — Technology upgrades, new lighting and improved infrastructure are heading to multiple neighborhood schools, which were chosen to receive more than $1 million in funding Thursday night.

Six out of 14 projects will be paid for through City Councilman Carlos Menchaca's participatory budgeting process using more than $2 million in taxpayer dollars.

Four of the winning proposals focused on local schools, officials said. 

Nearly 6,300 residents voted for the projects in District 38, which includes Red Hook, Sunset Park, Greenwood Heights, South Slope, Windsor Terrace and a portion of Borough Park. Two-thirds of the votes were cast in either Spanish or Chinese, according to a press release. 

A $965,000 project — the most expensive of the 14 — garnered the highest number of votes to improve access to technology at nine schools, including M.S. 88, P.S. 105, P.S. 69 and New Voices Middle School. 

That proposal was closely followed by votes for a $400,000 plan to install playground lighting at Sunset Park schools P.S. 503 and P.S. 506.

P.S. 169 will receive $75,000 in funding to expand the school's exit doors, and Red Hook's P.S. 15 and Sunset Park's P.S. 94 will get full renovations to their bathrooms for $400,000.

The final two winning projects include the installation of $500,000 worth of new workout equipment outside the Sunset Park Recreational Center. 

A mutimedia room will also be created at Red Hook's public library with a smart board, projector, new computers, speakers and audio recording equipment for $50,000.

“There is no question that a budget should reflect the priorities of a people, and in this case, we are seeing what our communities are thinking about most: access to technology for their children, safer schools, maintained parks, and stronger libraries," Menchaca said in a statement.

Projects that did not make the cut include a $200,000 proposal to expand free WiFi access in Red Hook and a plan to replace a portion of the Sunset Park green space's fence.