Borough president celebrates funding for parks and libraries in FY23
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Queens Borough President Donovan Richards celebrated funding allocated to Queens parks and libraries by his office in Fiscal Year 2023. Photo via Queens Borough President
By Ryan Schwach
With Fiscal Year 2024 now underway, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards is celebrating funding allocated to Queens parks and libraries by his office in the previous year.
His office announced on Wednesday that the borough president allocated around $17 million to Queens institutions, including $10 million for Queens parks and more than $6.9 million for the Queens Public Library system.
"It was a historic year for Queens, as we made unprecedented investments in ensuring our students receive the best education possible, our families have high-quality open space in their communities, our hospitals have state-of-the-art equipment and more,” said Richards.
Richards’ parks allocations went to upgrades at 11 parks across the World’s Borough. Six of the projects received seven-figure allocations. Those six included $1.5 million for both synthetic turf field renovations at Idlewild Park in Rosedale and playground renovations at Lawrence Virgilio Playground in Sunnyside
Additionally $1 million was given to playground renovations at Equity Park in Woodhaven, Frank O’Connor Playground in Elmhurst, St. Michael’s Playground in Woodside and athletic field renovations at Leonardo Ingravallo Playground in Flushing.
Funding also went toward the Project Eden community garden in Forest Hills, and $100,000 was used to plant 30 trees in three community districts.
For libraries, which were threatened with cuts in the city’s Fiscal Year 2024 budget, Richards’ funded 12 different QPL branches, which included $1 million to expand the Rosedale branch, and $900,000 for the Arverne Library in the Rockaways.
Also, renovations were paid for at the South Ozone Park, Laurelton, Baisley Park, Hollis and Richmond Hill branches.
Half a million dollars were given to upgrade the HVAC system at the Astoria branch, and another $1 million went to expanding the Corona branch.
Over the course of his administration, Richards says he has allocated more than $127 million in capital funding across Queens, including more than $22 million for schools, nearly $20 million for cultural organizations, nearly $19 million for healthcare facilities, more than $16 million for both parks and libraries, $10 million for Queens’ CUNY colleges, $9 million for community spaces and nearly $6 million for streetscape and street safety improvements.
The BP says that announcements about FY24 allocations will be made in the coming weeks.
“Queens is the future of New York City, and I’m deeply proud of the work we are doing together as one borough to make that future as bright as possible,” he said. “We’re just getting started, though, and I look forward to that work continuing in Fiscal Year 2024 and beyond.”
