Harlem Got Millions In NYC's 2023 Budget: Here's Where It's Going

HARLEM, NY — The record-high $101 billion budget passed by the City Council on Monday includes millions of dollars flowing to Harlem's schools, libraries and parks, among other projects.

Passed thanks to an early agreement between Mayor Eric Adams and Council Speaker Adrienne Adams last week, the package was described by the mayor as a "Get Stuff Done" budget. It will cover the 2023 fiscal year, which starts Oct. 1.

Besides major citywide items like subway safety and tax credits for low-income families, the budget also includes smaller neighborhood funding allocated by Harlem's three Council members: Shaun Abreu, Kristin Richardson Jordan and Diana Ayala.

Patch reviewed the 2023 capital budget document and picked out some notable neighborhood funds in each part of Harlem:

Central Harlem (Richardson Jordan)

Parks:

• Marcus Garvey Park, "green to greener initiative": $1,731,000

Housing and healthcare:

• Housing for transgender youth at the Ali Forney Center: $2,900,000
• Foot Clinics of New York: $164,000
• Skilled Nursing Telemetry Expansion at NYC Health + Hospitals/Carter: $436,000
• "Bufny-Longwood Preservation": $800,000

Schools:

• Playground upgrades at P.S. 197 John B. Russwurm: $444,000
• Hydroponic Classroom at Teacher's College Community School: $175,000
• Learning Center at Harlem Renaissance High School: $150,000
• Technology upgrades at P.S. 138: $50,000
• Cooling system work at P.S. 175: $150,000
• Between $50-70,000 each in funding for the following schools: P.S. 123 Mahalia Jackson, P.S. 154 Harriet Tubman, P.S. 180 Hugo Newman, P.S. 47 Arthur Tappen, P.S. 194 Countee Cullen, P.S. 197 John B. Russwurm, P.S. 092 Mary Mcleod Bethune, Thurgood Marshall Academy Lower School, Thurgood Marshall Academy High School, Frederick Douglass Academy High School, High School of Math, Science & Engineering, Mott Hall School, P.S. 200 James McCune Smith

Cultural organizations:

• Renovation of Sugar Hill art spaces at Broadway Housing Communities: $150,000

West Harlem (Abreu)

Parks:

• Morningside Park: infrastructure spending on staircase repairs, ADA accessibility, beautification, other safety upgrades between fiscal years 2023 to 2025: $6,300,000 (includes funding from Mayor's office)

Housing and healthcare:

• New CT Scanner at Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital: $1,217,000

Cultural organizations:

• Children's Museum of Manhattan: $9,000,000
• Renovation of Sugar Hill art spaces at Broadway Housing Communities: $150,000

Schools:

• Pool repair at P.S. 125 Ralph Bunche School: $2,200,000
• Basement cafeteria renovation at M125 campus: $550,000
• Auditorium renovation at Hamilton Grange Middle School: $500,000
• Technology upgrades at P.S./I.S. 210: $55,000
• Technology upgrades at P.S. 153 Adam Clayton Powell $127,000
• Computer lab upgrades at P.S. 192 Jacob H. Schiff: $200,000
• P.S. 138: $59,000
• Teachers College Community School: $175,000

Police:

• Security cameras around District 7: $110,000

East Harlem (Ayala)

Parks:

• Thomas Jefferson Recreation Center: $500,000
• Randall’s Island Waterfront Revitalization Program: $4,380,000 (over three years)

Housing and healthcare:

• Metropolitan Hospital: $4,971,000
• Franklin Plaza Apartments: $1,200,000
• Ascendant Neighborhood Development: $500,000
• NYCHA Clinton Houses Basketball Court: $263,000

Fire Department:

• FDNY bariatric ambulances: $325,000
• FDNY Fire Academy on Randall’s Island: $112,000

Libraries:

• Unspecified funding for District 8 libraries: $250,000

Schools:

• River East Elementary: $225,000
• Tito Puente Education Complex: $225,000
• Heritage High School: $100,000
• P.S. 108 Angelo Del Toro: $100,000
• Mosaic Preperatory Academy: $88,000
• Park East High School: $60,000
• P.S. 138: $51,000
• TAG Young Scholars: $75,000

The Council's separate expense budget also includes many smaller allocations to neighborhood groups like Uptown Grand Central, Brotherhood Sister Sol, Boys and Girls Club of Harlem, Harlem's three community boards, and NYCHA tenant associations.

Abreu and Ayala both voted for the budget, while Richardson Jordan voted against it, saying she objected to its increasing the NYPD's budget. That prompted Council Speaker Adrienne Adams to reportedly block Richardson Jordan and six of her colleagues from accessing $41 million in additional funds that they could have used to fund projects in their districts.

Richardson Jordan and Ayala did not immediately release any statements about the budget on Tuesday, while Abreu touted his securing of about $24.6 million in capital funding for his West Side district.

"We are immensely proud of the work we did to advance equity and bring an infusion of critical dollars back into the district," Abreu said in a statement. "This combined funding represents the strong commitment of my office to building a better, more equitable district for all, and I’m looking forward to sharing the good news with my constituents."