Photo: The Participatory Budgeting ballots were tallied at Councilman Ulrich’s Ozone Park office last Friday morning. Forum Photo by Michael V. Cusenza.
City Council District 32 schools, libraries and parks proved to be big beneficiaries of the Fiscal Year 2016 Participatory Budgeting process.
Residents in the Community Board 9—Kew Gardens, Richmond Hill, Woodhaven, and Ozone Park—portion of Councilman Eric Ulrich’s (R-Ozone Park) district voted in five proposals: technology upgrades at four local schools (PS 90, PS 97, PS 66, PS 306); security improvements at Ozone Park Library and Renovations at Richmond Hill Library; the installation of emergency call boxes throughout Forest Park to improve safety; an auditorium renovation at PS 64 in Ozone Park; and a complete refurbishment of the 9/11 Memorial in Forest Park. The combined cost of the five projects total $1.19 million.
“I want to bring it to the entire district next year,” Ulrich said last Friday in his Ozone Park office, crediting his staff for the work they put in over the five-month process. “It’s not my money, it’s not the government’s money, it’s the taxpayers’ money.”
This year, 692 constituents casted ballots on eight projects. Asked what he thought the voters take from the grassroots budgeting process, Ulrich said, “I think people gained a greater appreciation for my job. They’re getting an incredible lesson on how government functions, the nuts and bolts; and they’re learning how things are done. It’s a very transparent process.”
While he considers the concept of Participatory Budgeting “very, very good,” and he appreciates his “seat at the table,” as Ulrich put it, Ed Wendell, president of the Woodhaven Cultural and Historical Society, and a PB delegate, said the process still “needs some refinement and improvement, starting with the ballot.”
Wendell called the eligible items “largely uninspiring,” which he believes has an effect on voter turnout.
“We need to look next year at getting out the vote, getting people to vote,” he said. “Part of the problem is the items. People lose interest. A lot of work and effort went into this, and people are frustrated with the items that make it.”
Ulrich acknowledged that he had hoped for a higher number of ballots to tally.
“I would like to see greater involvement, more of my constituents taking greater ownership of this process,” he said. “But people are excited about [PB]. They love it.”
In the Community Board 14 section of District 32, 691 constituents casted ballots.
This year’s four winning proposals include technology upgrades at five local schools (PS 47, PS 317, PS 114, Beach Channel High School Campus and Scholars Academy), the construction of a new baseball diamond in American Park in Broad Channel, various improvements to 9/11 Tribute Park in Rockaway Park, and median renovations along Cross Bay Boulevard in Broad Channel between 1st and 5th Roads. The combined cost of these four projects total $1.32 million.
“Again this year, Councilman Ulrich gave the residents a chance to decide what is important to them,” said CB 14 Chairwoman and Participatory Budgeting Delegate Delores Orr. “Year after year, education continues to be the top priority for the community. I am so proud to have participated in the PB process.”
By Michael V. Cusenza michael@theforumnewsgroup.com
