Here's How The Upper West Side Is Spending $1.6M

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — Upper West Siders have voted on how to allocate more than $1 million in city funding in their districts, and the results are in.

In Councilmember Gale Brewer's district, which includes Hell's Kitchen, part of Midtown, Central Park, and most of the Upper West Side, more than 4,000 people voted, Brewer said.

In her district, most of the funding, which totaled $1,060,000, was allocated to public schools in the area. The William O'Shea School Complex, on West 77th Street and Columbus Avenue, and Frank McCourt High School, on West 84th Street between Columbus and Amsterdam avenues, will both receive $250,000 for new cooling systems.

PS 84, on West 92nd Street between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West, will receive $300,000 for bathroom renovations.

Her constituents also voted to allocate $100,000 to repair the crumbling retaining wall in Riverside Park at West 72nd Street and $160,000 to go toward 100 new tree guards in the district.

"I was pleasantly surprised about the wall only because it's not something that people typically vote for, and it's one of those issues that, you know, isn't usually exciting," Brewer told Patch Monday. "The fact that the Riverside Park wall got votes means that people just love Riverside Park."

There were two other projects in Brewer's district that didn't get the votes, like repairs for the Broadway Mall and upgrades at the High School of Environmental Studies, but she said she'll allocate more capital funds for these projects through her office.

"People felt that they were empowered by voting, and that's a big deal for me," Brewer told Patch.

Over in Councilmember Shaun Abreu's district, which includes parts of the Upper West Side, Manhattan Valley, Morningside Heights, West Harlem, Sugar Hill and Washington Heights, more than 2,500 people voted, he told Patch.

In his district, most of the funding, which totaled $1,050,000, also went toward improvements at local schools, he said, including two schools on the Upper West Side.

Voters allocated $250,000 to The Booker T. Washington School, which is on West 107th Street, between Amsterdam and Columbus avenues, for new bleachers and sports areas, and $350,000 to PS 133, which is on West 93rd Street, between Amsterdam and Columbus avenues, for science lab upgrades and technology upgrades.

Combined with Brewer's participatory budgeting, the Upper West Side is getting a total of $1,660,000 in capital funds, not including the two other projects Brewer said she'd fund.

In Harlem, Abreu's constituents also voted for a $300,000 upgrade to the bathrooms at the William Lynch School at West 146th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, as well as a $100,000 tech upgrade to the Hamilton Grange library at West 145th Street and Amsterdam Avenue.

“This year’s winning projects will bring improvements to three neighborhood schools and a local library, places that so many of us rely on and believe in," Abreu told Patch Monday. "Schools and libraries are where young people grow, families come together, and community is built."

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

For questions and tips, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.