FLATBUSH — New barbecue stations in Prospect Park, a new dog run and several major upgrades at local schools are set to move forward as a handful of resident-proposed projects won funding through participatory budgeting this week, the local councilman said.
About $1.125 million in public funds have been awarded to nine projects in the 40th Council District, which covers Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Ditmas Park, Kensington and parts of Flatbush and East Flatbush, Councilman Mathieu Eugene announced Monday.
For the first time his office helped facilitate participatory budgeting — a citizen-driven process for choosing local projects to receive a portion of a $1 million pledge from Eugene.
Residents from the area originally proposed 11 projects during this year’s participatory budgeting season, and all but two of them will be funded. Three of the larger projects will receive funding thanks to help from other elected officials in Brooklyn, including a $300,000 sidewalk extension for P.S. 92 and the Kensington dog run, which will both be partially paid for by Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, Eugene said.
In addition, neighboring Councilman Brad Lander is splitting the cost of a large weed-cleaning vehicle for Prospect Park, known as the “Lake Mess Monster.”
Locals’ top choice for funding, with 803 votes, was a proposal for computer lab updates at four area schools: P.S. 249, P.S. 245 P.S. 139 and P.S. 6. Second and third on the list of winners, with just over 500 votes apiece, were an $80,000 plan for installing new community barbecue sites in Prospect Park and a $150,000 renovation of the gymnasium at Erasmus Hall High School.
Eugene announced the results in an email Monday, days after releasing a different set of results to community members that contained several incorrect figures for four of the 11 proposals that did not tally up to the agreed-upon $1 million pledge.
“The totals included costs that were overestimated,” his office said in the email on Monday. “That means the 40th District has more money to fund more projects.”
To see the complete list of funded projects, click here.
