Trees, Farmstand: These Astoria Projects Won Caban's Budget Bucks

ASTORIA, QUEENS — The results are in, and Astorians chose new street trees, funding for a weekly farmstand, and upgrades to local public schools as a few of the projects worthy of thousands of dollars in government funds.

On Monday, City Councilmember Tiffany Cabán announced the eight winners of her office's participatory budgeting program, which gave residents the chance to decide how to spend about $1 million on neighborhood projects.

With nearly 3,000 votes cast over about a week, one project was a clear winner: technology upgrades at five schools in District 22, at a cost of $275,000. Planting more street trees and adding outdoor lights to the NYCHA Astoria Houses were among the other winners.

All told, Cabán's office will spend $1,178,000 to fund the winning projects. Here's the full list:

Capital project winners:

Technology Upgrades for District 22 Schools (1,310 votes)

• Location: Five schools: P.S. 122, I.S. 235, I.S. 126, P.S. 171, P.S. 151
• Cost: $275,000
• Description: "New iPads or Chromebooks for students at 5 schools in the district"

Street Tree Planting (864 votes)

• Location: throughout district; sites to be determined
• Cost: $150,000
• Description: "Street tree planting throughout the district. Specific locations yet to be determined."

Astoria Houses Outdoor Lighting (778 votes)

• Location: NYCHA Astoria Houses
• Cost: $500,000
• Description: "Installation of new lighting in Astoria Houses parking lot to increase visibility and safety."

I.S. 126 Computer Lab Electrical Upgrades (721 votes)

• Location: IS126Q Albert Shanker School for Visual & Performing Arts (31-51 21st St.)
• Cost: $200,000
• Description: "Rewire ethernet cables and 110v outlets for 62 computers in the two computer labs at IS 126."

Expense project winners

Weekly farmstand (1,191 votes)

• Location: 31st Ave. Open Street, Astoria Heights Playground
• Cost: $10,000
• Description: "A weekly farm stand that will run from April - November and will offer sliding scale pricing and accept SNAP benefits. The farm stand will be located on the 31st Ave. Open Street during the Fall season, and will expand to the area around Astoria Heights Playground for the Spring season. Hosted by The Connected Chef."

"Basics of Cooking" series (1,158 votes)

• Location: Variety Boys & Girls Club (21-12 30th Rd.)
• Cost: $20,000
• Description: "A fun, interactive, and educational series of weekend cooking classes open to all middle school aged students in the community. "

Pop-up Arts Classes (897 votes)

• Location: Astoria parks, playgrounds
• Cost: $5,000
• Description: "A 4-6 week series of free pop-up art, music, and/or theater classes at local Astoria Parks/Playgrounds. Hosted by Art House Astoria."

Astoria's First Gender Justice Center (814 votes)

• Location: Unspecified
• Cost: $20,000
• Description: "A public community space catering to women, girls, and non-binary people that will serve as a safe organizing hub for the community to gather, share and learn. The center will host regular programming organizing, self-defense, healing justice, and financial literacy. Hosted by Malikah."

Some eligible projects not chosen include a $500,000 item that would have built an outdoor garden at the newly renovated Steinway Library, upgrades to the Hoyt Playground, and funds for repairs at Ditmars Playground.

"I couldn’t be more proud of the thousands of neighbors who came together in this inspiring exercise of direct democracy," Cabán said in a statement. "No one knows the needs and hopes of our community better than the community itself, and the winning initiatives could not be more worthy, exciting, and meaningful."

Cabán is among 14 Council members running a participatory budgeting round this year — the program's 12th year in existence (though it was paused in 2020 during the pandemic). Fellow Western Queens Councilmember Julie Won is not participating.

Related coverage:

• Trees, Parks: These Astoria Projects Could Win Caban's Budget Bucks
• Astoria Residents Can Submit Ideas For $1.05M In Public Projects