Fort Greene Residents Want Better Lighting In NYCHA Houses, School Upgrades, And More From Participatory Budgeting
The 35th Council District has $1 million to spend on capital improvement projects and residents have A LOT of ideas for what those projects should be.
For the 35 or so Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, and Prospect Heights residents who came out to the brainstorming meeting held last night (Monday, September 21) in the Ingersoll Community Center gym, shared many of top priorities, such as:
- better lighting in staircases at NYCHA developments (Farragut, Ingersoll, Whitman, Lafayette Gardens)
- renovations and more books and computers for Walt Whitman Library
- turf and playground upgrades at Parham and Oracle Parks/Playgrounds
- free wifi in NYCHA developments
- railings on the staircases at Fort Greene Park
- computers and books at local elementary schools
- speedbumps for traffic calming at Washington and Carlton Avenues
- security checkpoints at Fulton Street, Washington Avenue, Ingersoll, and Fort Greene Park
- an art studio and computer lab for seniors at 966 Fulton (Grace Agard Harewood Senior Center)
- an auditorium upgrade at PS 532
- a fixed path and paint job/mural at the Willoughby Senior Center
- an outdoor projector for free movie screenings at NYCHA developments.
- a sprinkler system at Ingersoll Garden of Eden
- “Learning Walls” at PS 20
Other proposed ideas included security cameras in Farragut Houses’ elevators, renovations in Commodore Barry Park, tree guards around tree pits throughout the neighborhood, and air conditioning in elementary school auditoriums.
None of these projects are guaranteed to be funded under this year’s round of participatory budgeting (PB); the next step is for PB delegates — community volunteers who are just now applying to be, essentially, PB committee members who meet regularly to organize the ideas, provide information to neighbors, and help encourage others to participate.
As described by Councilmember Laurie Cumbo, echoing other elected officials who have tried PB in previous years, “participatory budgeting is an incredible opportunity to engage and empower people of all backgrounds [and is] a renewal of the belief that everyday people possess the authority to create real change in their own community. The success of this endeavor relies on the full participation of our youth, seniors, and families.”
The community-led funding project, which grants residents the power to nominate and vote for improvements in the community that need money to happen, has been something local residents of Fort Greene and Clinton Hill have long-desired for the community.
This idea of “power to the people” is easy to get behind, explained Celina Lynch, a long-time resident at Ingersoll, because it means you have a say.
Whether you’re a senior like Lynch who hopes for a sprinkler system for her and her fellow gardeners’ award-winning community garden, or an eight-year-old boy like Kevin Harris who regularly visits his grandma Diane at her Farragut apartment and doesn’t feel safe climbing the darkened stairwells, you know that it’s the people on the ground who know best what they need.
So join the participatory budgeting process! The next round of meeting dates haven’t been finalized yet, so reach out to Cumbo’s legislative and budget director, Drew Gabriel, for more information, at district35pb@gmail.com or by calling 212-788-7081.