Queens Campus Seeks $1.2M In 2018 Participatory Budget

CAMBRIA HEIGHTS, QUEENS -- The next Participatory Budgeting Cycle is approaching, which means New York City Council will give neighborhoods across the city at least $1 million for improvements decided on by their residents.

For Campus Magnet, that could mean up to $1.2 million in renovations.

The Queens campus, which houses five small high schools, has three separate improvement projects District 27's 2018 Participatory Budgeting ballot. Residents of the district - which covers Jamaica, Cambria Heights, Hollis, St. Albans, Queens Village and Springfield Gardens - can head to the polls April 7 - 14 to decide which, if any, they want to fund.

The campus' first - and most costly - proposal on the ballot is a $500,000 renovation to its football locker rooms. Next up is a $400,000 upgrade to its gymnasium's flooring and basketball courts and another $300,000 request for new PA systems.

But Campus Magnet schools aren't the only ones to make it onto this year's ballot. Other schools across the district are requesting funds for everything from science carts to laptop computers to STEM robots.

One St. Albans school, P.S. 360Q, is even asking for $200,00 t0 transform one of its classrooms into a greenhouse where students could grow their own foods while learning about nutrition and sustainable development.

Wedged in between the education facilities' requests are proposals to restore 221 Street in Queens Village, upgrade the basketball courts of Haggerty Park and more.

Here's a full list of the projects on District 27's ballot:

• Football Field House Upgrades at Campus Magnet: $500,000
• Campus Magnet Gymnasium Upgrades: $400,000
• Campus Magnet PA System Upgrades: $300,000
• STEM/STEAM Mobile Science Carts for students at P.S. 95, P.S./I.S. 268 and I.S. 238: $150,000
• New Water Fountains/ Bottle Filling Stations at P.S. 15, P.S. 37, P.S./M.S. 147, and P.S. 360: $120,000
• Queens Village Street Restoration (221 Street between 103 and Hempstead avenues): $300,000
• Haggerty Park Basketball Court Upgrades: $450,000
• Beautify The Boulevard (plant trees and flowers along Linden Boulevard from Farmers Boulevard to 234 Street): $210,000
• Mobile STEM Labs with Robots for P.S. 37 and P.S. 360: $124,000
• Auditorium Upgrades - including a ceiling mounted projector along with new sound systems and speakers - at P.S. 176, P.S. 37 and I.S. 8: $375,000 ($125,000 each)
• Laptop Computers and Mobile Laptop Carts for P.S. 176, P.S. 360, P.S. 37 and YECA: $300,000
• Greenhouse Classroom Conversion for P.S. 360Q: $200,000

Check out the video below to learn more about Participatory Budgeting, and click here to find out when and where you can vote for your favorite project.

Lead photo via Google Maps.