BROOKLYN-USA.ORG BROOKLYN NEWS 15 Capital IDEA$ Money matters. One of Borough President Adams’ greatest responsibilities is the capital budget that he secures and allocates on behalf of Brooklyn’s taxpayers. This City Charter-designated role to recommend capital projects for investment is an important way that he expands equity within and across the borough, as well as focuses local expertise on initiatives that advance a prosperous vision for the future. His Fiscal Year 2017 (FY17) budget was the largest sum that he has procured in his term thus far, bringing $60.5 million back to Brooklyn that will go toward hundreds of brick-and-mortar projects from Coney Island to Cypress Hills — and dozens of neighborhoods in between. Borough President Adams attributed this successful capital budget season to his effective advocacy with City Hall and his steadfast attention to community priorities. “A noted educator once said, ‘Don’t tell me where your priorities are…show me where you spend your money and I’ll tell you what they are,’” said Borough President Adams. “My capital budget shows that Brooklyn’s priorities continue to be advancing every corner of the borough as a safe place to raise healthy children and families. These investments in our future will expand opportunities to Brooklynites of all backgrounds, helping the popularity of our brand translate into prosperity for all of our neighbors.” Nearly half of Borough President Adams’ FY 17 capital budget has been designated toward education, with close to 150 schools receiving funding that is 99 percent concentrated in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) enrichment and programming. It also includes his groundbreaking $1 million commitment to participatory budgeting (PB), the process that empowers residents to directly propose and vote on projects for public investment; he is the first elected official or agency head outside the City Council to engage in PB and has already agreed to participate in this popular effort again for Fiscal Year 2018 (FY 18). Borough President Adams and Deputy Borough President Reyna celebrated more than $26 million that Brooklyn Borough Hall has invested in nearly 150 schools throughout the borough in FY17; they made the announcement at PS 228 David A. Boody in Gravesend, joined by hundreds of educators and elected officials such as Council Members Mathieu Eugene (center-right) and Jumaane D. Williams (center-left). The FY17 budget, which went into effect on July 1st of this year, features some of the following highlights: $28.6 million toward education, including: $2.9 million toward STEM laboratories for pre-kindergarten classrooms across southern and western Brooklyn. $2 million toward fabrication laboratories for his South Brooklyn Engineering Pipeline. $560,000 toward expanding his urban farming school program, Growing Brooklyn’s Future, into Carroll Gardens, Mapleton, and Marine Park. $500,000 toward textbook-free learning programs in Boerum Hill, Crown Heights, and East Flatbush. $500,000 for “The Campus,” a Brownsville-based youth development hub focused on technology and wellness. $10.3 million toward parks, including: $750,000 toward the preservation of a community garden in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens. $8.2 million toward arts and cultural institutions. $3.1 million toward economic development projects. $3 million toward public housing improvements in Bushwick and Gravesend. Photo Credit: Erica Sherman/Brooklyn BP’s Office $2.3 million toward affordable housing, including: $1 million toward projects in Brownsville and Crown Heights through his Faith-Based Development Initiative. $2 million toward street safety and livability enhancements in Borough Park, Bushwick, East New York, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Sunset Park, and Sheepshead Bay. $1.8 million toward health care and social service institutions. $1 million toward participatory budgeting projects approved by voters across Brooklyn, including: $400,000 toward parks in Crown Heights, Gravesend, Kensington, and Sunset Park. $200,000 toward schools in Boerum Hill and Bushwick. $200,000 toward street repairs in Midwood and Prospect-Lefferts Gardens. $100,000 toward public safety enhancements in Bensonhurst. $100,000 toward public housing improvements in Fort Greene. $500,000 toward public safety initiatives in Homecrest and Williamsburg.
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