School Upgrades, Bus Route Clocks, And Park Repairs Win PB Funds From CM Menchaca

Heather Chin -
Image via Google Maps.

The participatory budgeting (PBNYC) voting results are in and Sunset Park schools “won” three out of the five winning projects.

Specifically, Sunset Park High School will be getting a library upgrade, MS 136 will get an auditorium upgrade, and PS 169 will get renovated bathrooms. Park Slope’s MS 88 will also be getting a library and auditorium upgrade and Red Hook’s South Brooklyn Community High School will soon have new lockers. Together, all of these projects won $1.1 million out of Councilmember Carlos Menchaca’s $2.3 million PBNYC funds.

Image via Councilmember Carlos Menchaca’s office.

“Ultimately, our community chose great projects and showed strong support for each ballot item,” said Menchaca, who has held PBNYC voting for the past three years — each of which saw our 38th Council District bringing out the most number of voters in the entire city. This year, over 6,300 people voted. Many of those voters were non-English speakers and youth.

The other two non-school winning projects were a $500,000 renovation at Sunset Park to add new picnic tables, 20 new benches, and replacements for broken chain-link fences, and $600,00 for electronic bus time signs at bus stops across Sunset, Red Hook, and Greenwood Heights.

Here are the five winners:

  1. Sunset Park Renovation ($500,000)—3,494 votes
    Repaving, installing 20 new benches, replacing existing dilapidated chain-link fences, and adding picnic tables.
  2. School Library Update ($450,000)—3,168 votes
Renovating Middle School 88 and Sunset Park High School’s library media center.
  1. Electronic “Locator” Sign Throughout the District ($600,000)—2,828 votes
Installing electronic arrival time bus signs along area bus routes.
  1. South Brooklyn Community H.S. & P.S. 169 Upgrades ($380,000)—2,546 votes
Building lockers at SBHS and renovating bathrooms at P.S. 169.
  1. Auditorium Upgrade for M.S. 88 and M.S. 136  ($375,000)—2,527 votes
Building multi-purpose auditoriums that are handicapped-accessible community spaces.

Grand Total for PB Winners: $2,305,000

Did your favorite project win money? What will these upgrades mean to you and your family?