Tell NYC What Improvements You Want In The West Village

WEST VILLAGE, NY — What do you want to see improved in your neighborhood? As the City Council prepares to finalize the city's budget for the next fiscal year, council members are reaching out to residents to get their input on which community upgrades local residents want to see in the next year.

Through what's known as "participatory budgeting," residents in certain city districts can vote for how they'd like to spend $1 million in their community. Residents get the process started by brainstorming projects they want to see in their neighborhoods before voting to decide which of the finalists get funding. Not all council members choose to join the participatory budgeting process, but council member Corey Johnson, of District 3, is among the Manhattan representatives who has decided to join in.

For District 3, which stretches from Greenwich Village to Columbus Circle and part of the Upper West Side, residents can choose from more than a dozen projects. Included among the options are a brand new park in Hell's Kitchen, upgrades to existing parks throughout the district, and improved facilities in public spaces.

Here are the options for District 3 residents, via the NYC Council:

• Filtered water fountains at Lab & Museum Schools, 333 West 17th Street: 12 new water fountains with water filtration systems and environmentally-friendly bottle filling stations. Cost: $144,000.
• P.S. 111 air conditioning for the library, 440 West 53rd Street: Project would provide air conditioning for the library, which is used as a summer school site for hundreds of students. Cost: $150,000.
• Hudson Park library accessible bathrooms, 66 Leroy Street: This project would provide ADA accessibility to toilet facilities in the Hudson Park Library. Cost: $300,000.
• Toddler sprinkler resurface at Fulton Houses: The existing playground surface is crumbling and has holes in it. The area needs to be excavated and resurfaced so children can safely play in it. Cost: $500,000.
• Humanities Educational Complex Bathroom Renovation, 351 West 18th Street: This project would repair a fifth grade bathroom and a library bathroom that serves the six schools in the building. Cost: $300,000.
• Basketball Court renovations at Chelsea Park, West 27th Street and 10th Avenue: This project would repave and repaint the court and install new hoops. Cost: $575,000.
• Historic Street lighting for Greenwich Village: Funds would replace the old street lighting with historic lamp posts on 7th Avenue between Christopher and Bleecker Streets. Cost: $176,000.
• Real time rider information at bus stops, district wide: Electronic boards to display real time bus arrival information at five key bus stops throughout Council District 3. Cost: $125,000.
• Bleecker Street Playground Renovation, Hudson Street, Bleecker Street and West 11th Street: Funds will repair/replace all safety surface, roofs on play equipment, new trees, replant green space and more! Cost: $450,000.
• New park in Hell's Kitchen, 10th Avenue between 48th and 49th Streets: Funds will go towards transforming an empty lot into a new public park for the people of Hell’s Kitchen. Cost: $200,000.
• Jefferson Market Garden Upgrades, Greenwich Avenue and 10th Street: Replace northern chain-link fence to match existing iron fence that surrounds the garden and add new shed to house tools. Cost: $175,000.
• Renovation of Penn South Playground, West 26th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues: A renovation and re-visioning of Penn South Playground, designed with the residents of Penn South. Cost: $300,000
• Grounds Renovation at NYCHA Elliott-Chelsea Houses: New playground fending, renovate walkways and revitalize garden areas designed with Elliott-Chelsea Houses residents. Cost: $500,000.
• Tech upgrade at High School of Fashion Industries, 225 West 24th Street: Funds will be used to purchase additional computers and printers to support student learning. Cost: $60,000.
• New electrical outlets at P.S. 3, 490 Hudson St: Upgrade electrical panel and two new quad outlets for 40 rooms, which would minimize overloading of the current outlets. Cost: $150,000.

You can vote for as many as five project proposals. Participating council members promise funding for the projects that receive the most votes until their funding is used up, according to the city's council's website.

If you live in District 3, you can sign up to vote for your favorite project online here. The times and locations for voting in person are available here. Voting is open between March 27 and April 2, and any resident over the age of 14 is eligible to vote.

Lead image via Shutterstock.