Council Member Lynn Schulman has announced Richmond Hill High School, P.S. 62Q Chester Park School and the NYPD as the winners of nearly half a million dollars each in capital funds for improvement projects through Participatory Budgeting.
Schulman, who represents Richmond Hill residents in the city council, announced the winners of the capital funds on Monday, May 20, and visited each of them to share her congratulations.
“This process has shown students the power of voting, with many working hard to not only vote themselves but also to encourage their peers, families, and communities to do the same,” Schulman said, adding that voter turnout has tripled since last year.
The Participatory Budgeting process allows for community members to vote directly on how to spend one million dollars in capital funding. As a result, Richmond Hill High School will receive $500,000, P.S. 62Q will receive $450,000 and the NYPD Precincts in the councilwoman’s district, including the 102nd and 112th Precinct, will be granted $405,000.
The money awarded to Richmond Hill High School will go towards the construction of a specialized classroom for a culinary arts program. Tarek Alamarie, Principal of RHHS, says the addition of a culinary program will only bolster the school’s opportunities for students.
“Our vision at Richmond Hill High School is to invest in career-connected learning where students have an opportunity to learn about the various career fields,” said Alamarie.
P.S. 62Q will use its award of $450,000 to install upgraded air conditioning systems in its gymnasium. P.S. 62Q Principal Jordan Vitta says educating the students on Participatory Budgeting and having them join in on the effort to gain votes helped to secure the funding and give real-world examples of democracy in action.
“As a result of their effort, the future students and surrounding community will be able to enjoy an improved Gymnasium for years to come,” Vitta said.
A final visit on Schulman’s list to the NYPD 102nd Precinct emphasized the safety aspect of spending capital funds. The $405,000 given to the precincts within her district will allow for additional security cameras to be purchased and placed throughout the confines of the 102.
NYPD Deputy Inspector Jeremy Kivlin, commanding officer of the 102nd precinct, says the additional cameras will help give police officers the tools needed to keep the neighborhood safe.
“Security cameras serve as an extra set of eyes in our communities,” said Kivlin. “They are invaluable tools to help solve crimes and are deterrents for would-be criminals who will now know they are being watched. Today’s announcement that additional cameras will be posted in our neighborhoods is truly a ‘win-win’ for the police and all the people we serve.”
Community Board 9 Chair Sherry Algredo, who also joined Schulman on her winner’s tour, thanked the council member for her work in giving these new investments to Richmond Hill.
“Community Board 9 is looking forward to continuing to work with Council Member Schulman and her staff as they invest in education and our community. I’m especially thrilled that this funding is a direct result of participatory budgeting that was voted on by the community,” Algredo said.
UPDATE: The funding acquired through participatory budgeting is going towards the NYPD for Council Member Lynn Schulman’s district. D-29. An earlier story of this story only listed the NYPD 102nd Precinct as the recipients. The NYPD 112th precinct also benefits from the security camera funds.
