ASTORIA — Western Queens residents will get to vote this spring on how their council member should spend more than $1 million in budget funds — with proposals that include picnic tables for local parks, a playground for special needs kids and faster WiFi at a neighborhood library.
Both City Councilmen Costa Constantinides and Jimmy Van Bramer released a list of participatory budgeting proposals this week for their respective districts, with more than a dozen projects that constituents will be able to vote on later this month.
Residents in Constantinides' district — which includes Astoria and parts of of Woodside, East Elmhurst, and Jackson Heights — will be able to weigh in on their favorites at a number of voting sites between March 28 and April 3.
Possibilities include spending $250,000 for picnic and chess tables for Astoria Park, or $500,00 to repair or replace all of the park's water fountains, a source of complaints in the past.
Several suggestions would fund upgrades at local schools, like renovating the bathrooms at Long Island City High School and P.S. 122, or spending $175,000 to equip the five junior high schools in Constantinides' district with new laptops and printers.
Other proposals include improvements for the Astoria Boulevard branch of Queens Library, including $500,000 for faster and more efficient WiFi. A full list can be found here.
Voting for those who live in Van Bramer's district — which covers Long Island City, Woodside and Sunnyside — will take place March 26 to April 3.
Ideas include spending $500,000 to build a canopy to offer shade over Hunters Point South Park Playground, or $300,000 to install barbecue areas with picnic tables in Rainey Park.
One proposal would allocate $250,000 to create a playground for special needs children at the P4 at Skillman school in Long Island City, while another would give $350,000 for an air conditioning system at the building shared by I.S. 204 and Energy Tech High School.
A full list of proposals can be found here.
This is the second year both lawmakers have offered participatory budgeting, where voters suggest and then ultimately vote for how the council members should spend a portion of their public budget funds.
Last year, residents in Constantinides' district opted to fund a dog run and technology upgrades for local schools, while those in Van Bramer's voted for better bike lanes, a van for a local senior center and renovations to the playground at the Woodside Houses.
