Updates from District 39 in Brooklyn

Update on a PB victory by Rachael Fauss, District Committee Member in Council District 39

Community advocates know that change is often a slow process, and victories are sometimes elusive or only result in half a loaf.  But with participatory budgeting (PB), we have the opportunity to seek change in a way that involves the entire community through a public vote, amplifying and legitimizing our voice.

Residents in Council District 39 recently saw an important victory through participatory budgeting. At last year’s PB vote, we as a community voted to put $200,000 of our public dollars toward pedestrian safety upgrades at a dangerous intersection – Church Avenue and Ocean Parkway. 

Though the voters approved the project, we continued to need to fight together for the project to be approved by the New York State Department of Transportation (NYS DOT). We were saddened as a community to see one of our neighbors, Ngozi Agbim, tragically lose her life in June at this very intersection.  Her family’s inspiring advocacy helped to ensure the safety of pedestrians going forward. After petitions, community meetings and much hard work, last month the NYS DOT finally approved the community’s proposal for safety improvements.

Participatory Budgeting update from Neil Reilly, District 39 District Committee Member and former Transit Committee Delegate

Through patience and persistence, bringing real change to our neighborhoods is possible through Participatory Budgeting—even when a project doesn’t fit the budget or scope of PB!

As a budget delegate serving on the Transit Committee last year—the first year of PB in New York—I spearheaded a project to improve the subway stations in the district. I compiled the suggestions submitted by district residents for improvements at all of the F/G stations from Church Avenue through Bergen St, as well as the R station at 4th Avenue/9th Street. The suggestions ranged from improving lighting to repairing track tiles to repainting the ceilings.

Participatory Budgeting Update from Alix Fellman of the District 39 Parks & Recreation Committee

This time last year the people of our district came together for our first Participatory Budgeting vote, and selected seven projects to improve our community. One of the winning projects (the one I worked on) proposed to plant 100 trees on the most barren streets of our neighborhoods.

Over the past year the volunteer budget delegates from our district have been working with Parks Department staff and Councilmember Lander to get the trees off the drawing board and onto our streets. In the past month things have moved forward quickly, showing that the participation doesn't stop at the ballot box. We have been able to stay involved with implementing the project, making sure that the community’s vision is represented in the final product.