Borough Hall funds $65 million worth of upgrades throughout Queens

Melinda Katz delivers the State of the Borough address earlier this year. Photo courtesy of Queens Borough President Melinda Katz.

By Victoria Merlino

Borough President Melinda Katz announced new upgrades coming to Queens schools, recreational facilities, cultural institutions and more as she invests $65 million of her discretionary funding into capital projects for the borough.

Katz, a candidate for Queens District Attorney, announced the projects on Tuesday, a week before the Democratic primary for Queens DA.

“These are substantial public investments for not only renovations, expansions and enhancements, but also into the future for the growing communities and families of Queens,” said Katz in a statement. “From our public schools to affordable housing to parks to hospitals, when deciding where to invest precious resources, we know that if it's good for families, it's good for Queens.”

The $65 million will come from the FY 2020 budget that Mayor Bill de Blasio and the City Council agreed upon on June 14.

The capital allocations are broken down into nine categories: cultural institutions, CUNY, hospital/healthcare, housing, non-profit services, parks, public safety, the Queens Public Library and schools respectively.

Projects in Katz’s budget include a new kids culture garden at the Queens Botanical Garden, improvements to playgrounds across the borough and upgrades to all five CUNY colleges in Queens and affordable housing developments in Edgemere and Jamaica, to name a few.

For a complete list, visit queensbp.org.