PBNYC--District 38 In the News:

CARLOS MENCHACA New York City Council Member - District 38 “I truly believe that the PBNYC initiative, that this ballot, is going to transform our government," Carlos Menchaca, Council Member--District 38.  PBNYC--District 38 In the News: Brooklyn Daily Eagle: "School technology project heads budget wish list in 38th Council District"   DNAinfo: "Schools win Big in $2M Taxpayer Funding for Red Hook and Sunset Park" Kings County Politics: "Menchaca's District Shows Participatory Budgeting Strength"  The New York Times: "Participatory Budgeting Opens Up Voting to the Disenfranchised and Denied" Brooklyn, NY—Last week, Council Member Carlos Menchaca was joined by District 38 budget delegates and community volunteers to announce the projects that were selected to be funded in the Fiscal Year 2016 cycle through Participatory Budgeting New York City (PBNYC) initiative. This year represented the third year that the New York City Council rolled out the PB initiative, and the second year that District 38 participated. Council Member Menchaca allocated over 2 million dollars—almost 50% of his discretionary capital budget—to be allocated through the PBNYC community initiative. In April, residents were given the opportunity to vote for 5 projects out of 14 proposals to be funded. Project ideas were collected beginning in September 2014, and have been vetted through direct discussion between community residents and City agencies.   In total, District 38 saw the highest participation of all participating districts gathering almost 6,300 votes—almost two-thirds of which were cast in non-English languages: Spanish or Chinese. And the Winners Are... #1: Technology for Schools ($965,000)—3,273 votes  Improving access to technology for nine neighborhood schools that serve diverse communities: P.S.1, M.S. 88, P.S. 676, P.S. 105, P.S. 310, P.S. 69 and New Voices Middle School.   #2: P.S. 503/P.S. 506 Playground Lighting ($400,000)—3,112 votes  Install proper lighting to illuminate the school yards on weekdays and weekends.   #3: Expansion of Exit Doors at P.S. 169 ($75,000)—3,026 votes The door expansion on the 44th Street and 7th Avenue entrance will improve safety as students enter and leave the school and improve efficiency in a school with over 1,600 students.   #4: Bathroom Renovations ($400,000)—2,838 votes The full renovation of the early childhood bathrooms at P.S.15 and full renovations of all student and staff bathrooms at P.S. 94 to maintain hygiene of the schools.   #5: Outdoor Fitness: Equipment for SP Park ($500,000)—2,773 votes To have fitness equipment outside of the Sunset Recreational Center to promote fitness and appeal to people of all fitness levels.   #6: Red Hook Library Multimedia Room ($50,000)—1, 143 votes Installing a smart board and projector, computers, surround sound speakers, and audio recording equipment in Red Hook Library, to provide more resources for better productivity.