More Benefits of Participatory Budgeting

As we get ready to vote on the projects that are in the running for funding through Participatory Budgeting, Neil Reilly, a District 39 Committee Member and former Transit Committee Delegate notes that one of the interesting outcomes of the process is that some projects might not get the PB funding — but can end up getting paid for in other ways.

Last year the Transit Committee was hoping to get improvements at all of the F/G stations from Church Avenue through Bergen St, as well as the R station at 4th Avenue/9th Street:

Many things, such as tile repair throughout a station and construction of elevators or escalators, are well beyond the $1 million scope of PB capital projects. However, items like benches and signage qualify as capital work and fit in the scale of PB. The scarcity of neighborhood maps, for example, near station exits is not only easy to remedy but also very inexpensive. In fact, the MTA told me, the MTA was willing to do a handful of the improvements I proposed on the agency’s own dime and outside the PB process. I see this as a major win for the district: helpful improvements are being undertaken by the MTA with its own funds, leaving room for other necessary items to win PB dollars.

Neil got to do a walk-through of the 7th Ave station with MTA officials, station managers, and a construction crew last week, and it looks like those improvements that neighbors had come up with in the PB process are on their way to getting done.

So, if you’ve got ideas for projects in the area that could use funding, consider geting involved in the Participatory Budgeting process when it starts up again next year. You never know what you can get done.