Building Upgrades To Fort Greene's P.S. 20 Funded In Budget

FORT GREENE, NY — P.S. 20 will get a new water filtration system, doors, gym padding and upgraded air conditioners and heaters in the latest City Council budget.

The 225 Adelphi St. school got $250,000 for building safety improvements as part of Councilwoman Laurie Cumbo's latest participatory budget process, which lets residents vote on which neighborhood projects should receive funding, Cumbo announced on Tuesday.

"[Participatory Budgeting] is an incredible opportunity to engage and empower people of all backgrounds to collectively decide how we can spend $1 million to fund capital projects that will strengthen our community," Cumbo said in a statement.

More than 4,400 votes were cast by residents in Cumbo's district — which covers Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Prospect Heights, Crown Heights and Bed-Stuy — this year, a 63 percent increase from the amount of votes in 2016, Cumbo said.

Aside from the improvements to P.S 20, residents also voted to spend $150,000 to upgrade the electrical system of the Clinton Hill Library and $175,000 to buy 160 new laptops for Ebbets Field Middle School in Crown Heights.

The project that got the most votes, 2,524, was to spend $250,000 to upgrade the technology at Medgar Evers College Preparatory School with new smart boards, according to Cumbo. Residents also voted to use $250,000 to refurbish the auditorium of P.S. 9 in Prospect Heights.

Participatory budgeting started around New York City in 2012 giving residents the chance to vote on how they want at least $1 million of their council member's discretionary funds to be spent.

Voting was open to residents in the district 11-years-old and up, regardless if they're registered to vote, and they were able to cast their ballot online or at various spots around the neighborhoods throughout April.

Image courtesy of Majority Leader Laurie Cumbo's office.