BY SEAN EGAN | On Tues., March 23, District 3 residents milled about the Participatory Budgeting (PB) Project Expo at W. 17th St.’s Sixth Avenue Elementary School, taking in facts, snacks, and observing the handiwork of their neighbors. The evening served as prelude to the official voting period for the PB process — a program in which community residents propose, and then vote on, capital improvement projects. Funding comes from $1 million set aside by City Councilmember Corey Johnson. With voting happening now through April 2 at six brick physical locations (see the full list at the end of this article) and online, here. Chelsea Now took stock of the expo’s 15 presentations — five of which you can vote for, so long as you are 14 years of age or older, and live in NYC Council District 3.
School improvements were one of the most popular types of project on the PB ballot. “We’re in an old building, we have very limited outlet usage,” explained Nicole Barth, a PS 3 parent. “We’re scared of overloading the electrical system,” she said — fears that would be curtailed by the new, upgraded electrical panel and quad outlets the project seeks.
On the other end of the spectrum, parent Alice Ho was concerned with unsafe drinking water at the Lab and Museum Schools, where some water outlets have tested positive for lead. “We basically weren’t feeling warm and fuzzy when the numbers of parts per million kept going up with each test,” she said, and noted that the 12 water fountains would ensure safe drinking water for staff and students.
Repping the efforts to get air conditioning for PS 111 was PTA Co-president Trevor Richardson. Explaining that almost all the school’s AC units are broken, Richardson said, “The library is a key spot in our school that’ll help a lot of people,” noting that public places like this would be targeted in order to help provide relief to students, and the community at large during the summer months. Repairs to the bathrooms at the Humanities Educational Complex (home to six schools) — described by student Nicole Bernardo as being “a mess,” with broken stalls, tiles, and missing sinks — will also be featured on the ballot, as will a technology upgrade to the High School of Fashion Industries.
Another major variety of project involved the improvement and upkeep of public spaces like parks and gardens. “The block has been fighting for over 20 years,” said Community Board 4 (CB4) member JD Noland of the efforts to get a new Hell’s Kitchen park off the ground. Now, with the Parks Department approving the use of a location on 10th Ave. (btw. W. 48th & 49th Sts.), Noland sees PB funds as a way of officially getting the ball rolling. “We need it for the children of Hell’s Kitchen,” Noland said. Also from CB4 was Liam Buckley, advocating for general repairs for the Penn South playground. “It’s become outdated,” he noted. “Things are breaking, things are dirty.”
“We’ve been getting a lot of complaints from parents about how open the yards are,” explained Elliott-Chelsea Houses resident Darlene Waters, whose project proposed improvements to the Houses’ garden area, including fencing that would prevent kids from easily running out into nearby streets. Protective fencing was also on the mind of historian Jack Intrator, a volunteer with Jefferson Market Garden stumping for funds to replace the garden’s northern chain-link fence that is a “security issue,” as well as “a toolshed that’s past its longevity.”
Other ballot items include historic street lighting on Seventh Ave. South, and real-time rider information at bus stops throughout the district.
“I think really now, more than ever, given the trauma that we face every day reading the news, how important it is for everyone to be engaged locally,” said Councilmember Johnson, commending the PB volunteers and residents assembled, and encouraging them to vote. “It really is like watching democracy in action.”
PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING BALLOT DISTRICT 03 (COUNCILMEMBER COREY JOHNSON)
Vote for up to 5 projects.
Item #1: Hudson Park Library Accessible Bathrooms | Provide ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accessibility to toilet facilities in the Hudson Park Library (66 Leroy St.). Cost: $300,000.
Item #2: PS 111 Air Conditioning for the Library | Provide air conditioning for the library, which is used as a summer school site (440 W. 53rd St.) for hundreds of students. Cost: $150,000.
Item #3: Filtered Water Fountains at Lab & Museum Schools | 12 new water fountains with water filtration systems and environmentally friendly bottle filling stations at these 333 W. 17th St. schools. Cost: $144,000.
Item #4: New Electrical Outlets at PS 3 | Upgrade electrical panels and add two new quad outlets for 40 rooms in PS 3 (490 Hudson St.), which would minimize overloading the current outlets. Cost: $150,000.
Item #5: Tech Upgrade at High School of Fashion Industries | Purchase additional computers and printers to support student learning at this school (225 W. 24th St.). Cost: $60,000.
Item #6: Grounds Renovation at NYCHA Elliott-Chelsea Houses | Provide new playground fencing, renovate walkways, and revitalize garden areas designed with residents of Elliott-Chelsea Houses (btw. W. 25th & 27th Sts. and Ninth & 10th Aves.). Cost: $500,000.
Item #7: Renovation of Penn South Playground | Renovation/revisioning of Penn South Playground (W. 26th St., btw. Eighth & Ninth Aves.), designed with residents of Penn South. Cost: $300,000.
Item #8: Jefferson Market Garden Upgrades | Replace the northern chain-link fence to match existing iron fence surrounding the garden (Greenwich Ave. & W. 10th St.), and add new shed to house tools. Cost: $175,000.
Item #9: New Park in Hell’s Kitchen | Transform an empty lot (10th Ave., btw. W. 48th & 49th Sts.) into a new public park for the people of Hell’s Kitchen. Cost: $200,000.
Item #10: Bleecker Street Playground Renovation | Repair/replace all safety surface, roofs on play equipment, new trees, replant green space, and more at this playground (Hudson St., Bleecker St., & W. 11th St.). Cost: $450,000.
Item #11: Real Time Rider Information at Bus Stops | Fund electronic boards to display real-time bus arrival information at five key bus stops through Council District 3. Cost: $125,000.
Item #12: Historic Street Lighting for Greenwich Village | Replace the old street lighting with historic lamp posts on Seventh Ave South (btw. Christopher & Bleecker Sts.) in the Greenwich Village Historic District. Cost: $176,000.
Item #13: Basketball Court Renovations at Chelsea Park | Repave/repaint the court and install new hoops at W. 27th St., at 10th Ave. Cost: $575,000.
Item #14: Humanities Educational Complex Bathroom Renovation | Repair a fifth grade bathroom and a library bathroom that serves the six schools in the building (351 W. 18th St.). Cost: $300,000.
Item #15: Toddler Sprinkler Resurface at Fulton Houses | Excavate/resurface Fulton Houses’ (btw. W. 16th & 19th Sts. and Ninth & 10th Aves.) existing playground surface (which is crumbling and has holes in it) so children can safely play. Cost: $500,000.
VOTING LOCATIONS
Councilmember Corey Johnson’s District Office | 224 W. 30th St. (btw. Seventh & Eighth Aves.) Suite #1206 | March 27-31; 10am-6pm.
Fountain House | 425 W. 47th St. (btw. Ninth & 10th Aves.) | March 25-26 & April 1-2; 11am-6pm.
Fulton Houses Tenants Association Office | 419A W. 17th St. (btw. Ninth & 10th Aves.) | March 25-26 & April 1-2; 11am-6pm.
Hudson Guild Elliott Center | 441 W. 26th St. (at 10th Ave.) | March 25-26 & April 1-2; 11am-6pm.
Greenwich House | 27 Barrow St. (btw. W. Fourth & Bleecker Sts.) | March 25-26 & April 1-2; 11am-6pm.
The LGBT Center | 208 W. 13th St. (btw. Seventh & Greenwich Aves.) | March 25-26 & April 1-2; 11am-6pm.
Voting is also possible online, by clicking on this. For more info, visit coreyjohnson.nyc/pb.
