The winners of the Participatory Budgeting contest on the Upper West Side, where locals voted on how to spend $1 million in city taxpayer money, have been revealed, with tech upgrades at La Guardia High School on Amsterdam and 65th street receiving the most votes. A long-sought library at PS 191 on 61st street also got funding after the PTA had attempted to raise money for it.
Riverside Park is also in for some big upgrades. See the list of winners below.
First place: Technology Upgrades at LaGuardia High School (896 votes)
Second place: Picnic Tables for Riverside Park (834 votes)
Third place: UWS CERT Emergency Response and Education Vehicle (833 votes)
Fourth place: Creation of Library Space at P.S. 191 (826 votes)
Fifth place: Riverside Park Recreation and Activity Area (773 votes)
Read more details about the projects, and how much money they were looking for, here.
The winners were announced at a town hall meeting held by City Council Member Helen Rosenthal on Monday night. Rosenthal said some of the other projects that were nominated for funding may also receive money, though she didn’t elaborate.
We’ll have a full recap of the meeting on Tuesday.
We’ll also publish the results of participatory budgeting in Council Member Mark Levine’s district, which is in the Northern portion of the UWS, Morningside Heights and Washington Heights.
I mean, is this truly that big? This is one of the richest, most privileged public schools on the Upper West Side. I’m sure that comes from great parent activity and participation and all, but is this actually that momentous or surprising at all?
Actually, if you mean LaGuardia, the school is way underfunded for the number of students and has a student body that very much spans the economic spectrum. It should not be considered “rich” or “privileged” at all. Specialized, yes, but not “privileged.”
This total is $855,000. Where is the remaining $145,000 being used?
From the article, “Rosenthal said some of the other projects that were nominated for funding may also receive money, though she didn’t elaborate.”