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Borough President Adams distributed checks to the recipients of his FY15 capital budget for affordable housing at the Phase III site of the Gateway Elton Street
development in East New York.
Brooklyn works hard for its money, and the
work is paying off!
Borough President Adams is working to
address historic inequities in the share of
resources that the borough receives, from fighting
for more funding for senior services to
pushing for long-needed repairs and enhancements
to transportation infrastructure. One
of the most significant places that effort has
played out is in his capital budget, which has
nearly tripled from his first year in office to his
second; his Fiscal Year 2015 (FY15) budget allocations
totaled $21.7 million, while the upcoming
Fiscal Year 2016 (FY16) budget allocations
will be $60.1 million.
“For decades, Brooklynites have been left
with the short stick of support from every level
of government,” said Borough President Adams.
“We need an across-the-board commitment to
creating greater borough equity, and my capital
budget represents a dedicated effort to make
this borough a safe place for our young people
to learn and grow, as well as ensuring the popularity
of our brand translates into prosperity for
all 2.6 million Brooklynites.”
In FY15, Borough President Adams focused
his capital budget on several key areas. This
included affordable housing, which received a
six percent budgetary increase compared to
that allocated by the office in Fiscal Year 2014
(FY14); education, which accounted for one out
of every seven dollars spent in FY15; libraries
and cultural affairs, which were boosted by
almost seven percent proportionally to FY14;
and parks, which was proportionally increased
by nearly ten percent compared to FY14.
The FY16 budget, which will go into effect on July 1st
of this year, features some of the following highlights:
$20 million toward education, including:
• $6.7 million toward technology upgrades in schools.
• $4.5 million toward STEM education.
• $2.7 million toward greenhouses in schools.
• $1.2 million toward Community Learning Schools.
$11.9 million toward parks, including:
• $1.5 million toward the creation of the Brooklyn Strand, including:
• $1 million toward improving accessibility at the Brooklyn War Memorial.
• $960,000 toward sidewalk tree guards.
$6.5 million toward hospitals and wellness organizations.
$6 million toward cultural institutions, including:
• $1 million for a Caribbean-American museum at the Flatbush-Caton Market.
$3.2 million toward affordable housing, including:
• $2 million toward new construction.
• $1.2 million toward preservation of existing units.
$3.2 million toward branch expansions and renovations at the Brooklyn Public Library.
$2.3 million toward improvements at NYCHA.
$1 million toward sidewalk extensions at dangerous intersections.
$1 million toward renovations to activate space at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
$1 million toward a friendship archway in Sunset Park.
$540,000 toward workforce development.
$500,000 toward a community center in Brownsville.
$200,000 toward green building certification upgrades to Brooklyn Borough Hall.
$130,000 toward wayfinding signs to promote tourism and neighborhood accessibility.
Photos: Kathryn Kirk/BP’s Office
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