By Bill Parry
A new cycle of participatory budgeting begins next month in his district with Councilman Costa Constantinides (D-Astoria) increasing the allocation by 50 percent. Beginning Sept. 16, constituents in Astoria, parts of Woodside, East Elmhurst and Jackson Heights will have a say in how $1.5 million in discretionary funds will be spent.
“I am excited to bring Participatory Budgeting back to our district,” Constantinides said. “Last cycle was a success, with over 2,000 votes cast with three winning projects that totaled over $1.2 million in funding.” With an original allocation of $1 million, Constantinides found another $200,00 to cover the costs of the winning projects.
Residents in the district voted for tech upgrades in schools, $500,000 for a dog run in Astoria and another $500,000 for the IS 126 playground. In this cycle, Constantinides is specifically designating a third of the discretionary funding for projects within Jackson Heights and East Elmhurst.
The Participatory Budgeting process involves a series of meetings that feed into the city’s annual budget cycle. In the last cycle hundreds of community members attended four assemblies, held in the fall throughout Astoria and Jackson Heights, and brainstormed on project ideas. Nearly 100 then volunteered to be budget delegates who broke into groups that worked on specific issues and transformed an initial list of 250 capital project ideas into a ballot of 18 fully formed proposals.
In mid-April, over 2,200 residents cast their ballots for their favorite projects. Voting took place at sites across the district, including community rooms, shopping centers, offices, schools, libraries, subway stations and parks. The winning projects were announced in May.
“The volunteer-driven program provides an extraordinary opportunity for all our residents to have a voice in our city’s budget process,” Constantinides said. “The process is inclusive and brings our community together.”
Another way the community can come together is for Constantinides’ second annual school supply drive in conjunction with St. Michael’s Cemetery, 9 H.U.G.S. (Help Us Give & Share), Quontic Bank, the Elmezzi Foundation and other local organizations, in which supplies will be donated to area schools.
Supplies will be collected through Sept. 8 at Constantinides’ office at 31-09 Newtown Ave. and at Quontic Bank at 31-05 Broadway.
“All children deserve the right tools to aid in their education,” Constantinides said. “For too many students, the need for supplies sets them back before they can even start the school year right. Through this drive, we connect community support to schools that are most in need.”
State Sen. Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst) held his sixth annual backpacks-and-school-supplies giveaway Saturday at St. Paul the Apostle Church in Corona. More than 2,200 backpacks were distributed to the students on a first-come, first-served basis.
“Unfortunately, many families continue to face hardship in making ends meet and cannot afford these critical learning tools,” Peralta said. “I want to make sure local students have the proper necessities to succeed during the upcoming academic year. The goal is to reduce any obstacles that might impede a student from learning and this event is a step in that direction.”
Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparr
