You are reading

Participatory budgeting kicks off Monday, as residents to decide what projects to fund

FerrerasSept. 26, 2015 By Michael Florio

Residents of Elmhurst, Corona and parts of Jackson Heights will soon have a direct say on how $1 million in city funds will be spent in the district.

Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras, who each year allocates city funds toward local parks, clubs and schools, is about to start the participatory budgeting process for the second year, where a portion of the funds she receives from the City will be put in the hands of the community to spend.

On Monday, Ferreras will be kicking off the participatory budgeting process at a Community Board 4 meeting (located at 46-11 101th Street, at 6:30 pm). Residents will be able to put forward their ideas as to how the $1 million should be spent.

At this meeting, and the many others that will follow, residents will be given an opportunity to suggest projects/ideas that should be funded.

The list will be whittled down by volunteers and be put up for a vote in late March. The projects with the most votes at that time will be funded. Numerous projects can win until the $1 million is spent.

Last year residents voted to spend $350,000 on upgrading the lighting on Roosevelt Ave from 82nd Street to 90th Street.

Other winning projects included providing PS 307 with 31 smart boards at a cost of $186,000; more trees and green areas in LeFrak City at a cost of $150,000; and better lighting at Junction Playground for $200,000.

Other participatory budgeting meetings are scheduled for:

Tuesday, Sept. 29 at 7 pm

St. Paul the Apostle Church,

98-16 55th Ave,

Corona, NY

Monday, October 5 at 7 p.m.

Community Board 3

82-11 37th Ave. 6th Floor

Jackson Heights, NY

email the author: [email protected]
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Met Council leader warns of ‘catastrophe’ for low-income families in Queens due to lack of pandemic-era federal food aid

Mar. 28, 2023 By Bill Parry

As an accomplished legislator, law professor and media personality with broad experience in government and not-for-profit organizations, Met Council CEO and executive director David Greenfield is well aware of the power of words. With Passover arriving on Wednesday, April 5, and with federal pandemic food assistance no longer available to low-income families in Queens, the leader of the nation’s largest Jewish charity organization warned of a coming “catastrophe” and called for the city to step up to provide $13 million in emergency funding for pantries to help New Yorkers facing food insecurity and elevated costs of living in the borough.

Pair of Queens community organizations will activate public spaces to celebrate local cultures

Two Queens community organizations are among an inaugural cohort of five groups citywide that will lead new projects to celebrate local cultures and histories in public spaces under a new initiative called The Local Center in a partnership between Urban Design Forum and the Association for Neighborhood & Housing Development (ANHD).

At a time when New York is grappling with an uneven pandemic recovery and as displacement looms large for communities and neighborhoods across the five boroughs, this new endeavor will convene interdisciplinary teams to transform and activate the shared spaces where cultural traditions flourish — and importantly, center the community visions and leadership that is too often left out of the process.