The community has spoken and the results are in.
More than 2,400 votes were cast and the final tallies have been counted in Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley’s District 30 participatory budgeting cycle where community members were able to vote on how they would like to see $1 million spent, and the big winners are the schools and libraries in Ridgewood, Glendale, Maspeth and Middle Village, as they were the top vote-getting projects.
The number one project, with 1,546 votes is to bring laptop carts to P.S./I.S. 49 and P.S./I.S. 87 in Middle Village; P.S./I.S. 119 in Glendale; and P.S. 153 in Maspeth. This will make the latest technology more accessible for students in the classrooms. The project cost is $280,000.
Ridgewood and Maspeth public libraries were second in voting, receiving 1,381 total votes to bring in more desktop computers, equipment and furniture to accommodate the many daily visitors who depend on the libraries’ resources. This project cost is $36,000.
The third project, with 1,223 votes, is Operation Restroom Renovation, which will restore and renovate the bathrooms at P.S./I.S. 49 in Middle Village, P.S. 9 in Maspeth and P.S. 88 in Ridgewood, and will cost $420,000.
Coming in fourth place with a total of 1,146 votes is to introduce 15 smart boards, which will be distributed between Grover Cleveland High School and P.S./I.S. 87, which will allow for the integration of various technologies within the classroom to improve students’ learning experiences. This project costs $250,000.
“I am thrilled by the feedback we received during participatory budgeting and the final projects the community decided on. Schools and libraries are the lifeblood of our communities and these improvements will benefit people of all ages,” Crowley said. “Thank you to everyone who voted, volunteered and helped see this process through until the very end. It’s the residents who know their neighborhoods the best, and together, we can build a stronger community.”
Crowley will announce the winning projects during a thank-you party on Tuesday, April 26, at Julia’s, located at 818 Woodward Ave. in Ridgewood, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Out of 28 Council members who took part in this year’s participatory budgeting process, Crowley’s office placed ninth for highest vote total, with 2,486 votes collected via paper and online ballots.
Meetings with the respective city agencies to discuss implementation is expected to be before the end of this fiscal year, June 30.
