Upper East Siders Can Help Decide How To Spend $1M

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Upper East Siders have until Nov. 30 to suggest public projects they'd like to see funded with $1 million in city money.

The funding is part of Participatory Budgeting, a process that lets residents propose community projects and vote on which ones should receive funding.

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Council District 4 — which includes the Upper East Side, Stuyvesant Town–Peter Cooper Village, Murray Hill, Midtown East, Turtle Bay and Sutton Place — is bringing the process back this year after a pause.

"My constituents know their neighborhood better than anyone else," District 4's Councilmember Virginia Maloney said. "We want to make sure that the residents in District 4 have a direct line to my office in how we spend $1 million to improve the district."

Residents can submit an idea online or browse proposals already on the district's idea map.

Ideas can include upgrades to parks and gardens, schools, libraries and community centers, as well as improvements to public spaces and pedestrian safety.

However, not every project is eligible, Maloney said.

Projects must be capital improvements in a public space and generally cost more than $50,000, Maloney said.

Examples include park upgrades, new technology for schools or community centers, and upgraded bathrooms. One idea already submitted would fund an HVAC upgrade at a police precinct.

Residents don't need to know whether their idea meets the requirements before submitting it. Maloney said her office and City Council staff will review proposals for feasibility. Community volunteers will also help develop ideas into project proposals for the ballot.

Once proposals have been reviewed, residents will vote on the projects they want funded during a nine-day voting period in March.

Anyone who lives in the district and is at least 11 years old can vote, regardless of citizenship status, Maloney said. Her office also plans to work with schools to let students know they can take part.

"This is both a very valuable tool for us to get a sense of what the district priorities are," Maloney said, "but it's also an educational opportunity teaching civics to students who are 11 and up."

Residents with questions or who need help submitting an idea can contact Maloney's office.

"We want to hear all of the ideas," she said.

For questions, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.