Astoria Library, Schools Win Funding In Budget Vote

ASTORIA, QUEENS — The Astoria library and schools in western Queens won funding thanks to residents who voted in this year's participatory budgeting cycle.

The Queens Library at Astoria and nine schools in City Council District 22 — which includes Astoria and parts of Jackson Heights, East Elmhurst and Woodside — will receive over $900,000 in upgrades from City Council Member Costa Constantinides.

The projects received the most votes from western Queens residents in Constantinides' participatory budgeting cycle, which lets locals decide how the city should spend funds in their neighborhoods.

School upgrades include new water bottle filler stations, high-speed WiFi and electrical upgrades to support window air conditioners in classrooms.

Voters also chose to earmark $180,000 for new bus countdown clocks in the district.

The following five projects won funding in this year's participatory budget:

• Water Bottle Refilling Stations, $285,000: This proposal applies to all elementary schools in Council District 22: P.S. 2, 17, 84, 85, 151, 171, and 234. Rapid bottle filler stations will replace existing drinking fountains within these facilities.
• Updated High Speed WiFi, $250,000: Internet connectivity at The Young Women’s Leadership School will significantly improve thanks to upgrades to the wireless system.
• Classroom Electrical Upgrades, $150,000: Eleven classrooms on the third floor of P.S. 70 will undergo electrical upgrades. This will enable the classrooms' rooms to support window air conditioners.
• Astoria Library Revitalization Supplement, $250,000: This will support ongoing work to reimagine the Queens Library at Astoria branch as a 21st century learning facility, which has seen about $8 million worth of investment over the last five years. The allocation aids in more furniture, equipment, and fixtures for this historic library.
• Real Time Passenger Information, $180,000: More bus countdown clocks will be installed throughout District 22. This technology uses GPS data to notify commuters when the next bus will arrive. The Department of Transportation will chose locations based in part on public input.

More than 2,500 locals voted in this year's participatory budgeting cycle from March 30 to April 7. Voters chose from 13 project proposals that residents suggested during neighborhood assemblies last fall, according to Constantinides' office.

"What you see are the result of a dedicated community that wants to improve the lives of all those who live in western Queens," Constantinides said.

Winning projects will get funding in the Fiscal Year 2020 budget, which takes effect on July 1, 2019.