P.S. 111, where a ballot item proposes repairing the gym there. (Google Maps)
May 4, 2018 By Nathaly Pesantez
The winners of this year’s Participatory Budgeting process will be announced next week, with a record number of votes collected for projects around Sunnyside, Woodside, and Long Island City.
Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer will announce the winning items on May 9 at Jack’s Fire Department, located at 39-46 Skillman Ave. The public event will begin at 5 pm.
Over 7,100 votes—up nearly 2,000 from the prior cycle—were submitted online and in person for the 15 projects on the ballot. Ballot items ranged from school and library improvements, tech upgrades to a veterans shelter on Borden Ave., bus time countdown clocks, and planting new trees around the district. Ballot items ranged from $50,000 to $900,000.
Residents 11 and older were able to choose up to five projects they wanted to see come about during the April 7 to April 15 voting period.
Van Bramer has also pledged to allocate $2 million to the winning projects—the highest amount to date.
“This is a truly democratic process that that funds important projects in our neighborhood,” Van Bramer said in a statement. “I hope to see everyone at the reveal event so we can celebrate this record PB year together!”
This participatory budgeting cycle began in September with community residents pitching ideas through brainstorming sessions on what improvements are needed in District 26. The projects are announced before City Council passes the budget for Fiscal Year 2019, where they will receive funding allocated by Van Bramer.
