Here's How The Upper East Side Is Spending $2.75M

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — More than 6,400 Upper East Siders and Roosevelt Islanders voted on how to allocate $2.75 million in city funding, and the results are in, Councilmember Julie Menin said.

Most of the funding was allocated to public schools in the area.

The Julia Richman Education Complex and MS 167 will receive both $500,000 upgrades, for auditorium renovations and a new art studio, respectively, and three more schools will receive $450,000 bathroom renovations, including the Eleanor Roosevelt High School, PS/IS 217 on Roosevelt Island, and PS 267.

Menin's entire district, which includes Roosevelt Island, Upper East Side and Midtown East, will also receive $100,000 for new protective tree guards and benches, and the NYPD's 19th Precinct, which serves the Upper East Side, will receive critical infrastructure upgrades.

According to the vote tallies, the top three projects voted for included the auditorium, the art studio, and the street-side tree guards and benches.

"It will be wonderful to see more tree guards and benches in District 5," Julie Peck, an Upper East Side tree advocate, said. "They protect street trees from soil compaction, dog waste and other hazards, and lead to healthier and longer-living trees. A healthy tree canopy in turn offers beauty, shade, cooler temperatures, quieter streets, cleaner air and many more environmental and quality-of-life benefits."

For the uninitiated, Participatory Budgeting is an annual democratic process for New Yorkers to vote on how to allocate up to $1 million in their districts, with a focus on capital projects that would improve schools, parks, libraries and other public spaces.

This round of voting was the Upper East Side's fourth cycle and, this year, ranked first in Manhattan for having the most votes, Menin said.

The vote was initially to allocate $1 million, but because of a high voter turnout, Menin allocated an additional $1.75 to the pot, she said.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the turnout in our district and grateful to our residents for making their voices heard and prioritizing their right to vote in this Participatory Budget cycle," the councilmember said. "With our democratic institutions facing considerable challenges at the federal level, it is imperative that democracy continue to flourish at the local level and Participatory Budgeting allows for that to happen."

The winning projects will be included in the City’s budget in June 2025.

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