On June 30, the New York City Council passed the City budget for the upcoming fiscal year, and Council Members Keith Powers and Julie Menin have announced that over $35 million was secured in discretionary funding improvements for Districts 4 and 5.
“Council Members Julie Menin and Keith Powers prioritized upgrading schools, community centers, playgrounds, parks, and transportation corridors in their Council Districts,” states the announcement. “The Council Members have allocated funding to provide parks programming and sanitation services for additional trash cleanups as well as providing each public school in their district with at least $50,000 towards critical technology, auditorium or infrastructure upgrades.”
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Here’s where the money will go:
- $2,780,000 will be allocated to reconstruct the hockey, basketball and pickleball courts in Carl Schurz Park.
- $2,100,000 will be spent renovating the Harlem Meer in Central Park.
- $350,000 will be set aside for East 79th Street crosstown bus lane improvements.
- $400,000 will be spent on bathroom renovations at Wagner Middle School.
- $800,000 has been allocated towards technology and gymnasium upgrades at Ella Baker School (MS 225).
- $600,000 will go towards library and playground renovations at Hunter College and Hunter College Campus schools.
- Over $12 million will be spent improving the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Guggenheim Museum, and Park Avenue Armory.
- $2,000,000 will go towards technology upgrades at the Julia Richman Education Complex.
- $1,030,000 will be spent to refurbish classrooms and the auditorium (and to install security cameras) at the Lower Lab P.S. 77 and Isador E. Ida Straus P.S. 198 schools.
- $200,000 will be spent on library and bathroom renovations at P.S. 6 Lillie D. Blake school.
- $200,000 will go towards tree planting and tree guard installations throughout the East Side of Manhattan and Roosevelt Island.
- $2,500,000 will be spent on the 92Y’s Art Center.
- $126,000 will go towards technology upgrades at P.S. 267 East Side Elementary.
- $2,200,000 will be spent to install security lighting and upgrade the existing playground, basketball and handball courts at 24 Sycamores Playground.
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In addition, the council members secured over $4.5 million to support organizations including:
- Asphalt Green
- Carnegie Hill Neighbors
- Carter Burden Center
- East 86th Street Association
- Friends of the East River Esplanade
- Lenox Hill Neighborhood House
- Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts
- NYCHA’s Isaacs Center
- Upper Green Side
- 92nd Street Y
- James Lenox House
- Treadwell Farm Historic District Association
Open up the old pork barrel!
One thing that needs to be done around Carl Schurz park is painting or replacing the benches. They’re in terrible condition. Maybe next year …
Is there not a Board of Education budget? 35 million dollars for a tax base of how much?
What about spending on the entire community? I don’t know lets start with pedestrian safety and work up from there?
Pork barrel indeed.