Schools in Long Island City, Sunnyside, Woodside and Astoria will get a whole host of infrastructure and technology upgrades thanks to participatory budgeting.
Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer announced the winners of the participatory budgeting voting process on Monday, which took place from March 25 through April 2. This year, 5,125 residents living in District 26 cast a ballot, which represents a 1, 525 increase in votes from last year.
In total, about $1.8 million will be allocated to projects around the district. Residents cast the largest number of ballots for mobile laptops and carts for 6 schools including Academy of American Studies, Aviation High School, P.S. 12, P.S. 111, P.S. 112, P.S. 76 and P.S.166.
Three schools, including P.S. 12, P.S. 112 and P.S. 199, will get $450,000 worth of bathroom repairs and upgrades and P.S. 112 will also receive a water fountain installation.
The Woodside library, located at 54-22 Skillman Ave., will receive an expanded teen space and technology upgrades for $150,000 and bus countdown clocks will be installed throughout the district for $200,000.
The councilman also decided to fund a bonus project – $300,000 worth of auditorium upgrades at P.S. 111 and P.S. 166.
“After the record breaking vote count and enthusiasm we saw for this round of Participatory Budgeting, I’m thrilled to allocate over $1.8 million dollars that will return right back to our district directly to projects our community voted for,” Van Bramer said. “These will be improvements we can actually see and feel all throughout Sunnyside, Long Island City, Woodside, Dutch Kills, and Astoria. From countdown clocks at bus stops that provide live updates, to mobile laptops, bathroom repairs, and improvements to our schools that will help our students learn, our community will be made better by these projects.”
