By Gus Saltonstall
Last week, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and City Council Speaker Julie Menin shook hands to agree on a $125.8 billion budget for the upcoming fiscal year in 2027. The deal was struck just hours before the July 1 deadline.
The budget passed the City Council prior to the handshake by a vote of 45-6, with the body’s five Republican members voting against it, along with one Democrat.
The Upper West Side and Morningside Heights representatives, Councilmembers Gale Brewer and Shaun Abreu, worked to secure funding for local destinations and organizations.
Below is a sampling of the projects and institutions on or serving the Upper West Side or Morningside Heights for which they obtained funding. To be clear, the list doesn’t cover every local institution that will receive money; if you wish to check out the entire budget, click HERE, and then search for the names Brewer and Abreu to find every item our two local Council representatives are funding.
Upper West Side Budget Items
Councilmember Shaun Abreu in District 7: From around West 93rd to 155th streets
- Children’s Museum of Manhattan: $250,000
- Goddard Riverside Community Center: $60,000
- Morningside Park pathway reconstruction: $450,000
- Playground 125 full renovation at West 123rd Street and Morningside Avenue: $3,300,000
- P.S. 333 Playground at 154 West 93rd Street: $3,100,000
- Police security cameras in District 7: $350,000
- Riverside Park reconstruction staircase at West 108th Street: $1,494,000
- Technology upgrades at public libraries in District 7: $250,000
- The New Jewish Home’s Skillspring program, which trains people to become certified nurses: $265,000
- Upper West Side Cinema Center Pop-up programming: $75,000
Councilmember Gale Brewer in District 6: From around West 55th to 93rd streets
- American Folk Art Museum: $5,000
- American Museum of Natural History: $7,100,000
- Alvin Ailey: $5,000
- Ballet Hispanico: $40,000
- Bloomingdale School of Music: $10,000
- Columbus Avenue BID: $7,500
- Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts: $2,500,000 for enhancements
- Film Society of Lincoln Center: $5,000
- Jazz at Lincoln Center: $30,000
- Juilliard School Community Engagement: $5,000
- Landmark West!: $15,000
- Lincoln Center: $2,575,000
- Lincoln Square BID: $7,500
- Manhattan Community Board 7: $6,000
- New York Historical: $2,100,000
- Riverside Park Conservancy equity program: $40,000
- Society for Ethical Culture in the City of New York: $5,000
- The Center at West Park Inclusive Teen Concert: $10,000
- West 87th Street and Garden events and maintenance: $5,000
- WP Theater: $10,000
- Wild Bird Fund: $20,000
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Another year with no money to get the scaffolding down at Park West Church? I thought Brewer said that was basically done several years ago now?
A couple years ago Gale Brewer secured funding to renovate Soldiers and Sailors monument. Kudos to Ms. Brewer. I just wanted to put this out there to keep it on everyone’s radar. It’s a big project, still in the planning stage. Reopen in 2028? Please? Maybe?
Lincoln Square BID: only $7,500? They provide security along Broadway (guess that’s not too important) and also keep the streets clean (who needs that?!!!).
I think the BID’s are principally funded by the business owners who form the BID. This grant is probably (but Brewer’s office would know) for some specific project for which the BID requested government funding. Maybe the West Side Rag will do a feature about the role and funding of the BID’s.
What’s going on with Dinosaur Playground? Totally neglected for years.
You can see the plan and track the project here:
https://www.nycgovparks.org/planning-and-building/capital-project-tracker/project/10160
But what you’ll also see it that all the dates are in the past, and the project seems to be stalled. I would love it if the Rag would get an update.
PS: the new entrance at 97th St. was originally part of this Parks Department renovation, but the Riverside Park Conservancy was able to break it away from the playground project and fast-track it with a private donation. That’s because the entrance didn’t require any electrical or plumbing work.
All the recent stairway and ramp renovations in the upper Park (as well as the rapid repair to the damaged Siegl stairs) are thanks to the Conservancy. Please donate!
I belive the issue here is the same as in much of upper Riverside. It is over the train tunnels and likelyrequires participation or mitigation from Amtrak who owns it.
How in the world could it cost $3 MILLION to redo a playground? Why does AMMH need $7 Million? Many if these expenditures are outrageous
What happened to the millions allotted by Eric Adams to repair the Soldiers and Sailors monument? I haven’t seen any work going on.
Last year it was announced that Gayle Brewer had secured , a significant amount to renovate the Soldiers and Sailors Monument. Will this renovation evre begin. It is terribly sad to see it in the condition it is. Its a magnificent piece that should be cherished.
How does a staircase cost 1.4M?