Earlier this week, the City Council approved a $75 billion budget for the coming fiscal year. In the days ahead, we’ll be looking at some of the Lower East Side organizations and programs awarded grants as part of that budget agreement. First up: a big win for Seward Park. In the capital budget, City Council member Margaret Chin was able to allocate $600,000 to resurface the basketball courts in the northeast corner of the park.
The project was one of 24 capital priorities outlined by Community Board 3 in the past year. The board noted that a “drainage problem inhibits court usage and raises concerns about stagnant water and mosquitos.” In a statement, Chin said, “the Lower East Side community has asked for renovations to these basketball courts, and that’s why I made them a priority in my capital funding for this year’s budget. Improvements to the Seward Park courts are a win for children and families throughout the community, and I look forward to working with the Parks Department to ensure that the renovations are undertaken and completed as swiftly as possible.”
Additionally, Chin allocated funds to a variety of LES/Chinatown schools. See below for some of the highlights:
- University Neighborhood HS: $100,000 for bathroom renovations
- Cascades High School: $100,000 for bathroom renovations
- P.S. 184: $100,000 for exterior sidewalk repairs
- School for Global Leaders: $90,000 to convert a classroom into a library/media lab
- Emma Lazarus High School: $60,000 for construction of a rooftop garden, for educational programming and growing fresh produce.
- Lower Manhattan Arts Academy: $60,000 for laptop carts
- M.S. 131: $60,000 for laptop carts
- New Design High School: $60,000 for laptop carts
- P.S. 20: $60,000 for laptop carts
- P.S. 130: $50,000 for laptop carts
- P.S. 137: $60,000 for interactive white boards and wireless classroom technology
- P.S. 142: $40,000 for Interactive Tables (touch screen displays) in four early-childhood Special Ed classrooms
The basketball courts at Grand and Forsythe were just redone as well. Why is all this money being allocated to basketball while the soccer fields are left in such disrepair they’ve become a danger to play on? The soccer fields are consistently in the top 5 budget allocations from the Community Board. Sad to see that Margaret Chin doesn’t listen to her community.
Speaking for Friends of Seward Park, we are extremely grateful for this allocation to take care of what have been horrible conditions in our basketball courts. The courts are used not only for basketball but for volleyball, too. I hope work can start soon.