UWS Participatory Budget Finalized: Find Out Where $1M Is Going

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — Upper West Siders submitted 71 ideas in January for projects that could receive funding through this year's participatory budgeting programming. Those ideas were whittled down to nine finalists in March, and now the four winning neighborhood projects have been announced.

Without further ado, here are the winning projects and how much funding each will receive.

Security Cameras on Broadway, Amsterdam, Columbus, & Riverside Drive: 672 Votes, $320,000 to install eight security cameras on Broadway, Amsterdam, Columbus, and Riverside Drive to deter crime and ensure public safety. Locations to be determined in consultation with NYPD.

Jessie Isadore Straus School Infrastructure Improvements: (P.S. 199, grades K-5, 270 W. 70th St.): 617 votes, $300,000 to upgrade and repair two existing student restrooms (replace fixtures, stalls, floor/wall tiling, ADA accessibility).

Greening Broadway: Trees & Tree Guards on Broadway above 72nd Street: 592 Votes, $250,000 to install approximately 35 trees and tree guards on the sidewalks along Broadway. This would make the avenue a more attractive destination, is environmentally sound, and offers additional shade.

Center School Technology Grant: (M.S. 243, grades 5-8, 100 W. 84th St.): 578 votes, $117,000 to purchase 12 Promethean Boards and 30 laptops with one laptop cart to ensure each classroom has a smartboard and laptops that are connected to the smart boards. This project will ensure that the school has technology deployed in the classrooms to support an enriched & interactive learning experience.

Over 1,700 residents of the Upper West Side Council District 6 voted between the nine final projects. The four selected ones shown above will be added to the Council's 2022-23 budget proposal, which if passed, will take effect in July 2022.

The participatory budgeting process was organized by Council Member Gale Brewer.

“Participatory budgeting is an exciting opportunity for residents to get even more involved with local government," Brewer said in a news release. "Upper West Siders are very civically engaged, and I am grateful for the support of volunteers who made this effort possible. I look forward to seeing these projects implemented and beautifying our streets and improving education and public safety."

Some of the projects that did not get selected for the final nine? A boxing gym in the Metro Theater, a sound barrier wall in Riverside Park to block noise from the West Side Highway, and a residential parking permit program.

Read More:

• UWS Budget: Help Choose Where $1M Gets Spent In The Neighborhood
• Here Are The 9 UWS Finalist Projects For $1M In Funding: Budget