Astoria
Apr 21, 2017

What Projects Won Funding from Participatory Budgeting

See what projects were chosen by your fellow Astorians during the Participatory Budgeting cycle.

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Well, the voting is over and the winners have been chosen in the Participatory Budgeting process. Here are the projects that will be funded by $1M, chosen by you and your Astoria neighbors (thanks to the office of Costa Constantinides for the update):

  • New Tree Plantings ($36,000)
    Plant new trees and install guards along District 22 streets. Final locations to be determined by the Parks Department.
  • Bus Countdown Clocks ($250,000)
    Clocks will provide real-time travel info making MTA bus transit more efficient. Each clock costs $25,000. Locations to be determined by the Department of Transportation.
  • Accessible Entrance for Queens Library at Astoria ($250,000)
    Add automatic sliding doors, fix driveway and, if needed, remove steps to benefit seniors and people with disabilities.
  • Technology Upgrades for District 22 Libraries ($125,000)
    Most of the computer technology is out of date. An update would be very helpful for library staff and patrons.
  • Solar Panels for Queens Library at Steinway ($300,000)
    Aside from the positive impact on the environment, photovoltaic (PV) solar panels lower electricity costs by up to 60%.
  • STEM Lab at The Young Women’s Leadership School ($60,000)
    Update the current STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Lab to include more laptops and 3D printers.

Costa adds, “I am also committing to allocate funding from my regular discretionary budget to the parking lot lighting installation at NYCHA Astoria Houses, which received 897 votes—more than double last year’s vote count for a similar lighting installation at the Astoria Houses basketball court.”

Did your favorites win? Let us know what you think in the comments.

About Meg Cotner

Meg Cotner was trained as a harpsichordist and now works as a freelance writer and editor. She is the author of "Food Lovers' Guide to Queens," and is a skilled and avid home cook, baker, and preserver.

One Comment

AP

Considering the pretty decent bus time info you can find online, I’m a little disappointed money is being wasted on the countdown clocks, but I do recognize that it will be of benefit to seniors who are less likely to be using smartphones to track that.

The rest of the selections look excellent.

And no offense dog owners, but I’m pretty glad that there weren’t any dog run options on the ballot this time – the cost/benefit ratio of those makes them a poor community investment.

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