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Have a Say in How to Spend $2M in City Funds for Sunset Park and Red Hook

By Amy Zimmer | March 24, 2017 3:31pm | Updated on March 26, 2017 2:05pm
 Schoolyard upgrades and A/C wiring for schools dominate Particpatory Budget proposals in District 38, represented by Councilman Carlos Menchaca. He's pictured here at a previous Participatory Budgeting Expo.
Schoolyard upgrades and A/C wiring for schools dominate Particpatory Budget proposals in District 38, represented by Councilman Carlos Menchaca. He's pictured here at a previous Participatory Budgeting Expo.
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DNAinfo/Nikhita Venugopal

BROOKLYN — How would you spend $2 million in taxpayer money to improve Red Hook, Sunset Park and Windsor Terrace?

Participatory budgeting — now in its sixth year in New York City — allows community members to vote on whether to fund neighborhood upgrades suggested by residents in a months-long process of public meetings.

Starting Saturday, Mar. 25 and running through Apr. 2., you can vote at several locations in City Councilman Carlos Menchaca’s District 38, including the Red Hook and Sunset Park libraries. (The list of locations is here.) Anyone in the district can vote, ages 14 or older — even if you're not a registered voter — as long as you have some document stating your name and address.

"Participatory budgeting is true democracy in action," Menchaca said in a statement. "Results are better when residents decide how city dollars should be spent. I’m proud of the worthy projects residents have nominated."

This year, all but one of the 12 proposals in District 38 are for school-based projects. Many involve renovating schoolyards and several would upgrade wiring for air conditioners, which is a big need at the majority of city schools. With no plan in place from the Department of Education to fix the lack of A/Cs in schools, many schools are turning to discretionary funds provided by participatory budgeting to fill the gap.

District 38’s priciest proposal is a $700,000 project to repair at Sunset Park’s P.S. 503/P.S. 506's track and add a ramp for families there.

Several $500,000 proposals include schoolyard upgrades at Borough Park’s P.S. 69 and Sunset Park’s P.S. 24; modernizing the auditorium with new microphones, speakers and lighting at Sunset Park’s I.S. 220; and remodeling the gym to include a heating and cooling system at South Slope’s M.S. 88.

Three other proposals, all costing $400,000, are air conditioner-related.

One proposal would upgrade the wiring for the gym at Sunset Park’s M.S. 821/M.S. 136 so that community members could enjoy events there with an improved cooling system, and another would rewire the air conditioners in classrooms at Sunset Park’s P.S. 94. Another ballot initiative would fund a cooling system in a multi-purpose room where meetings and enrichment classes are held at Sunset Park’s P.S. 516.

Sunset Park’s P.S. 1 is asking for $400,000 to install security cameras in and around the school.

Red Hook’s P.S. 15 is hoping to get $220,000 to renovate its second floor bathrooms for students and staff, and the Summit Academy Charter School in Red Hook is seeking $120,000 for computers and other tech equipment for students.

The one non-school-based project is a $500,000 renovation of the handball courts in Sunset Park at 44th Street and Sixth Avenue.

"Voting in our district will see ballots cast in many languages and by people who are often not included in community decision making," Menchaca said. "I also celebrate middle school students participating for the first time this year as full-fledged voters."

Last year, nearly 6,300 residents voted in the district, with two-thirds of the votes cast in either Spanish or Chinese, officials said. Menchaca's District 38 historically has the highest voter participation in the city's participatory budget process, he said.

Middle school students this year are eligible voters. Ballots are available in Chinese, English, Arabic and Spanish.

Winning proposals in 2016 included a $965,000 project to improve technology at nine schools, including M.S. 88 and New Voices Middle School, as well as a $400,000 proposal to install playground lighting at Sunset Park’s P.S. 503/P.S. 506.